Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko - Miscellaneous, Birthday and Family

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Mark Rothko Biography Stories 

Mark Rothko's Personal Details

Marcus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz was a painter of Latvian Jewish descent living in the United States of America

InformationDetail
BirthdaySeptember 25, 1903
Died onFebruary 25, 1970
NationalityAmerican
FamousYale University, Artists & Painters, Artists, Abstract Painters, Miscellaneous
SpousesEdith Sachar, Mary Alice Beistle
Known asMarcus Rothkowitz, Marcus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, Mark RothkoDEMO
ChildrensChristopher Rothko, Kate Rothko
Universities
  • Yale University
  • 1921-06 - Lincoln High School
  • Yale University
Notable Alumnis
  • Yale University
Cause of death
  • Suicide
Birth PlaceDaugavpils, Latvia
GenderMale
FatherJacob Rothkowitz
MotherKate Goldin Rothkowitz
Net Worth$88 million
Sun SignLibra
Born inDaugavpils, Latvia
Famous asPainter
Died at Age66

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Mark Rothko's photo

Who is Mark Rothko?

There are many painters and artists who emerged after the World War II but Mark Rothko was undoubtedly one of the most highly-regarded painters to emerge from the New York art scene. A bright student at school he soon won a scholarship at Yale University. However the Yale community did not impress him much and he dropped out of College to discover the city of New York. Discovering the artistic society of New York he finally found his niche and likeminded people who inspired him to paint. Working with several eminent artists and teaching some of the most artistic young minds, he developed a style of his own. Rothko, slowly moved away from representational art and started thinking of art as a medium of expressing the emotional and religious experiences. From surrealism to the much noted ‘multi-form’, his art took various forms and shapes. The latter slowly transcended into large rectangular fields of colour which eventually became his trademark. A key figure in modern 20th century painting, Rothko lived his life as a celebrity and he justified his reputation as a tortured artist by slashing his own arms and bleeding to death. Scroll further for more interesting information on this personality

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Childhood & Early Life

Born on September 25, 1903 in Dvinsk, in the Russian Empire, Rothko was the son of Jacob (Yakov) Rothkowitz, a pharmacist and was the youngest of four siblings.

At the age of five he was sent to study the Talmud due to the Orthodox Jewish views of his father.

With the growing fear of the ‘Imperial Russian Army’, Rothko’s father immigrated with two of his sons to United States while Rothko stayed back in Russia with his mother and sister.

The family later reunited in Portland in 1913 but soon after Jacob Rothkowitz passed away leaving the family in an economic crisis. Young Marcus worked odd jobs to help his family financially and support his education.

The intelligent student began studying in the United States. He passed out with honours from ‘Lincoln High School’ in Portland in 1921.

After learning English, he received a scholarship from Yale where he found the community to be elite and also racist. When his scholarship did not get renewed he did several part-time jobs to support himself.

Career

In 1923, Rothko moved to New York finding work in the garment district. Influenced by a friend’s art designs, he enrolled at the ‘New York School of Design’.

Viewing art as a tool of emotional expression, his first exhibit of work was with a group of young artists at the ‘Opportunity Gallery’ in 1928.

With a little amount of success coming his way, he started teaching painting and clay sculpture at the ‘Center Academ’ in the year 1929.

Over the next few years he worked with several artists and refined his craft. Finally in 1933, he displayed his first show at the ‘Portland Art Museum’ consisting of his drawings. He also displayed the works of his students at the ‘Center Academy’.

He returned to New York and did his first one-man show in East Coast at the ‘Contemporary Arts Gallery’ displaying fifteen oil painting and few aquarelles and drawings.

In 1935, he associated with Ilya Bolotowsky and many others to protest for the equal rights of the Artists. Also during this period he was shaping his influential work and his new art forms which would later go on to become his trademarks.

Two years later he worked with the Artists’ unions to set up the ‘Municipal Art Gallery’. It was 1940, that he stopped painting for a while and focused on reading the works of James Frazer and Sigmund Freud.

In 1942, he revived his art by being inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's ‘The Birth of Tragedy’. His painting ‘The omen of the Eagle’ was a depiction of these thoughts.

In 1945, he did a one man show at Guggenheim's ‘The Art of This Century Gallery’ where he displayed his masterpiece ‘Slow Swirl at the Edge of the Sea’. The show however did not give financial returns to Rothko and his focus shifted from ‘Surrealism’ to the abstract work of Clyford Still.

Next year he created transitional ‘multiform’ paintings like ‘No. 18’ and ‘Untitled’ which released two years later. These forms became a signature style in his later exhibits.

In 1949, his essay called ‘The Romantics were prompted’ was published which was a gentle justification of his artistes inspiration from the mythological figures. This time he came across Matisse’s ‘Red Studio’ which influenced his later work.

In the 1950s he visited Europe with his wife and had one-man shows in galleries in Amsterdam and also Japan.

In 1960s the ‘Rothko Chapel’ came into existence in Houston, Texas. He considers this his most significant work for which he gave six years of his life.

Major Works

‘White Center’ and ‘Orange, Red, Yellow’ are famous paintings of Rothko which have broken many sale records and collected huge amount of money. While the ‘White Center’ was sold for 72.8 million dollars the latter was sold for 86.9 million dollars in New York.

’Rothko Chapel’ was his most celebrated work which opened in 1971, by when Rothko had passed away.

Personal Life & Legacy:

Rothko’s first wife was Edith Sachar, a jewellery designer. He had met Edith in Lake George and they got married in 1932. The marriage culminated in divorce nine years later.

A year after his divorce with Edith, in 1944, he met his second wife Mary Ellen ‘Mell’ Beistle. The couple got married in the spring, the following year.

In 1969, the couple separated due to Rothko’s increasing health problems and impotence. They have two children.

At the age of 66, Rothko was found lying dead in his kitchen by his assistant Oliver Steindecker. The artist had overdosed on anti-depressants and committed suicide by slitting his wrists.

David Anfam made a catalogue of Rothko’s 86 paintings. The book was titled ‘Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas : Catalogue Raisonné’ and was published in 1998.

His son Christopher published ‘The Artist’s Reality’ in 2006. This was an unpublished manuscript by Rothko himself

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Mark Rothko biography timelines

  • // 25th Sep 1903
    Born on September 25, 1903 in Dvinsk, in the Russian Empire, Rothko was the son of Jacob (Yakov) Rothkowitz, a pharmacist and was the youngest of four siblings.
  • // 1913
    The family later reunited in Portland in 1913 but soon after Jacob Rothkowitz passed away leaving the family in an economic crisis. Young Marcus worked odd jobs to help his family financially and support his education.
  • // 1921
    The intelligent student began studying in the United States. He passed out with honours from ‘Lincoln High School’ in Portland in 1921.
  • // 1923
    In 1923, Rothko moved to New York finding work in the garment district. Influenced by a friend’s art designs, he enrolled at the ‘New York School of Design’.
  • // 1928
    Viewing art as a tool of emotional expression, his first exhibit of work was with a group of young artists at the ‘Opportunity Gallery’ in 1928.
  • // 1929
    With a little amount of success coming his way, he started teaching painting and clay sculpture at the ‘Center Academ’ in the year 1929.
  • // 1932
    Rothko’s first wife was Edith Sachar, a jewellery designer. He had met Edith in Lake George and they got married in 1932. The marriage culminated in divorce nine years later.
  • // 1933
    Over the next few years he worked with several artists and refined his craft. Finally in 1933, he displayed his first show at the ‘Portland Art Museum’ consisting of his drawings. He also displayed the works of his students at the ‘Center Academy’.
  • // 1935
    In 1935, he associated with Ilya Bolotowsky and many others to protest for the equal rights of the Artists. Also during this period he was shaping his influential work and his new art forms which would later go on to become his trademarks.
  • // 1940
    Two years later he worked with the Artists’ unions to set up the ‘Municipal Art Gallery’. It was 1940, that he stopped painting for a while and focused on reading the works of James Frazer and Sigmund Freud.
  • // 1942
    In 1942, he revived his art by being inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's ‘The Birth of Tragedy’. His painting ‘The omen of the Eagle’ was a depiction of these thoughts.
  • // 1944
    A year after his divorce with Edith, in 1944, he met his second wife Mary Ellen ‘Mell’ Beistle. The couple got married in the spring, the following year.
  • // 1945
    In 1945, he did a one man show at Guggenheim's ‘The Art of This Century Gallery’ where he displayed his masterpiece ‘Slow Swirl at the Edge of the Sea’. The show however did not give financial returns to Rothko and his focus shifted from ‘Surrealism’ to the abstract work of Clyford Still.
  • // 1949
    In 1949, his essay called ‘The Romantics were prompted’ was published which was a gentle justification of his artistes inspiration from the mythological figures. This time he came across Matisse’s ‘Red Studio’ which influenced his later work.
  • // 1969
    In 1969, the couple separated due to Rothko’s increasing health problems and impotence. They have two children.
  • // 1971
    ’Rothko Chapel’ was his most celebrated work which opened in 1971, by when Rothko had passed away.
  • // 1998
    David Anfam made a catalogue of Rothko’s 86 paintings. The book was titled ‘Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas : Catalogue Raisonné’ and was published in 1998.
  • // 2006
    His son Christopher published ‘The Artist’s Reality’ in 2006. This was an unpublished manuscript by Rothko himself

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Mark Rothko's FAQ

  • What is Mark Rothko birthday?

    Mark Rothko was born at 1903-09-25

  • When was Mark Rothko died?

    Mark Rothko was died at 1970-02-25

  • Where was Mark Rothko died?

    Mark Rothko was died in New York City

  • Which age was Mark Rothko died?

    Mark Rothko was died at age 66

  • Where is Mark Rothko's birth place?

    Mark Rothko was born in Daugavpils, Latvia

  • What is Mark Rothko nationalities?

    Mark Rothko's nationalities is American

  • Who is Mark Rothko spouses?

    Mark Rothko's spouses is Edith Sachar, Mary Alice Beistle

  • Who is Mark Rothko childrens?

    Mark Rothko's childrens is Christopher Rothko, Kate Rothko

  • What was Mark Rothko universities?

    Mark Rothko studied at Yale University, 1921-06 - Lincoln High School, Yale University

  • What was Mark Rothko notable alumnis?

    Mark Rothko's notable alumnis is Yale University

  • What is Mark Rothko's cause of dead?

    Mark Rothko dead because of Suicide

  • Who is Mark Rothko's father?

    Mark Rothko's father is Jacob Rothkowitz

  • Who is Mark Rothko's mother?

    Mark Rothko's mother is Kate Goldin Rothkowitz

  • What is Mark Rothko's sun sign?

    Mark Rothko is Libra

  • How famous is Mark Rothko?

    Mark Rothko is famouse as Painter