Tentacles of Memory
46.2794
Date
Medium
Support
Dimensions
21 7/8 x 29 7/8 in. (55.6 x 75.9 cm)
Inscription
Lower right in black ink: MARK ROTHKO
Collection
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Albert M. Bender Collection, Albert M. Bender Bequest Fund purchase, 46.2794. © Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko
Exhibitions
Mark Rothko: Exhibition of Watercolors, Mortimer Brandt Gallery, New York, April 22 – May 4, 1946, no. 10, as Tentacles of Memory.
Oils and Watercolors by Mark Rothko, San Francisco Museum of Art, August 13 – September 8, 1946, as Tentacles of Memory.
[Title unknown], Tacoma Art League, February 18 – April 19, 1948.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958, Palazzo Reale Napoli, October 31 – November 25, 1959.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958, Palazzo Strozzi, December 12, 1959 – January 10, 1960.
25 anni di pittura americana, 1933-1958, Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna, January 23 – February 22, 1960.
25 anni di pittura americana, 1933–1958, Società per le belle arti ed esposizione permanente, March 5 – 31, 1960, as Tentacles of Memory.
Moderne amerikanische Malerei, 1930–1958, Amerika Haus, April 15 – May 15, 1960.
Moderne amerikanische Malerei, 1930–1958, Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt, June 3 – 26, 1960, cat. 62, as Tentacles of Memory.
Modernt amerikanskt måleri, 1932–1958, Göteborgs konstmuseum, July 15 – August 7, 1960, cat. 62, as Minnets tentakler.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958, York City Art Gallery, August 15 – September 20, 1960, cat. 62, as Tentacles of Memory.
A Period of Exploration: San Francisco, 1945–50, Oakland Museum, Art Department, September 4 – November 4, 1973, cat. 66, as Tentacles of Memory.
Collectors, Collecting, Collection: American Abstract Art Since 1945, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 22 – June 5, 1977, cat. 3, as Tentacles of Memory.
Drawing, 1900–1945: A Survey of American Works, Museum of Art, Washington State University, October 19 – November 15, 1979, as Tentacles of Memory.
California Collects: Important Works from the Permanent Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Newport Harbor Art Museum, December 17, 1981 – February 14, 1982, as Tentacles of Memory.
The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938–1948, Newport Harbor Art Museum, July 16 – September 14, 1986, cat. 125, as Tentacles of Memory.
The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938–1948, Whitney Museum of American Art, November 13, 1986 – January 21, 1987, cat. 125, as Tentacles of Memory.
The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938–1948, Walker Art Center, February 21 – April 19, 1987, cat. 125, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko, National Gallery of Art, May 3 – August 16, 1998, cat. 26, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko, Whitney Museum of American Art, September 17 – November 29, 1998, cat. 26, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko, Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, January 14 – April 25, 1999, cat. 15, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Equitable Gallery, November 4, 1999 – February 26, 2000, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien, March 22 – June 25, 2000, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Binghamton University Art Museum, July 28 – October 20, 2000, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Passage de Retz, November 22, 2000 – January 12, 2001, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper, National Gallery of Art, November 19, 2023 – March 31, 2024, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper, The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Norway, May 16 – September 22, 2024.
Oils and Watercolors by Mark Rothko, San Francisco Museum of Art, August 13 – September 8, 1946, as Tentacles of Memory.
[Title unknown], Tacoma Art League, February 18 – April 19, 1948.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958, Palazzo Reale Napoli, October 31 – November 25, 1959.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958, Palazzo Strozzi, December 12, 1959 – January 10, 1960.
25 anni di pittura americana, 1933-1958, Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna, January 23 – February 22, 1960.
25 anni di pittura americana, 1933–1958, Società per le belle arti ed esposizione permanente, March 5 – 31, 1960, as Tentacles of Memory.
Moderne amerikanische Malerei, 1930–1958, Amerika Haus, April 15 – May 15, 1960.
Moderne amerikanische Malerei, 1930–1958, Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt, June 3 – 26, 1960, cat. 62, as Tentacles of Memory.
Modernt amerikanskt måleri, 1932–1958, Göteborgs konstmuseum, July 15 – August 7, 1960, cat. 62, as Minnets tentakler.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958, York City Art Gallery, August 15 – September 20, 1960, cat. 62, as Tentacles of Memory.
A Period of Exploration: San Francisco, 1945–50, Oakland Museum, Art Department, September 4 – November 4, 1973, cat. 66, as Tentacles of Memory.
Collectors, Collecting, Collection: American Abstract Art Since 1945, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 22 – June 5, 1977, cat. 3, as Tentacles of Memory.
Drawing, 1900–1945: A Survey of American Works, Museum of Art, Washington State University, October 19 – November 15, 1979, as Tentacles of Memory.
California Collects: Important Works from the Permanent Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Newport Harbor Art Museum, December 17, 1981 – February 14, 1982, as Tentacles of Memory.
The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938–1948, Newport Harbor Art Museum, July 16 – September 14, 1986, cat. 125, as Tentacles of Memory.
The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938–1948, Whitney Museum of American Art, November 13, 1986 – January 21, 1987, cat. 125, as Tentacles of Memory.
The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism: Works on Paper, 1938–1948, Walker Art Center, February 21 – April 19, 1987, cat. 125, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko, National Gallery of Art, May 3 – August 16, 1998, cat. 26, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko, Whitney Museum of American Art, September 17 – November 29, 1998, cat. 26, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko, Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, January 14 – April 25, 1999, cat. 15, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Equitable Gallery, November 4, 1999 – February 26, 2000, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien, March 22 – June 25, 2000, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Binghamton University Art Museum, July 28 – October 20, 2000, as Tentacles of Memory.
Dreams, 1900–2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, Passage de Retz, November 22, 2000 – January 12, 2001, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper, National Gallery of Art, November 19, 2023 – March 31, 2024, as Tentacles of Memory.
Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper, The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Norway, May 16 – September 22, 2024.
References
MKR's Art Outlook. "Mark Rothko." June 1946: 4, 6 (b/w).
Ferrári, Oreste. "Venticinque anni di Pittura Americana." Arte Figurativa VIII, no. 44 (March-April 1960, no. 2): 58.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958. York City Art Gallery, York, England, 1960: n.p.
Alloway, Lawrence. "The Biomorphic Forties." Artforum 4 (September 1965): 22, fig. 7 (b/w).
Hunter, Sam. La pittura americana del dopoguerra. Milan, Italy, 1967: 96 (b/w) [reproduced upside down and in reverse].
Hunter, Sam. Modern American: Op, Pop, and the School of Color. New York, 1970: 88 (b/w) [reproduced upside down and in reverse].
Fuller McChesney, Mary. A Period of Exploration: San Francisco 1945–50. Oakland Museum Art Department, Oakland, CA, 1973: n.p.
Zamoiski, Clair. “Chronology.” In Mark Rothko, 1903–1970: A Retrospective, by Diane Waldman. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1978: 271.
Waldman, Diane. Mark Rothko, 1903–1970: A Retrospective. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1978: 271.
Museum of Art, Washington State University. Drawing 1900 – 1945: A Survey of American Works. Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1979: 11.
Mark Rothko 1949: A Year in Transition: Selections from the Mark Rothko Foundation. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, 1983: 8, 6 (b/w).
Schimmel, Paul, and Lawrence Alloway. The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism, Works on Paper, 1938–1948. Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA, 1986: 168, 196, 35 (b/w), cat. 125 (color).
Alloway, Lawrence. “The Biomorphic Forties.” In The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism, Works on Paper 1938–1948, by Paul Schimmel, Lawrence Alloway, Dore Ashton, et al. Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA, 1986: 35 (b/w).
Breitman, Ellen. Rothko entry. In The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism, Works on Paper 1938-1948, by Paul Schimmel and Lawrence Alloway. Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA, 1986: 168, cat. 125 (color).
Polcari, Stephen. “Mark Rothko: Heritage, Environment, and Tradition.” Smithsonian Studies in American Art 2, no. 2 (Spring 1988): 42-43, fig. 10 (b/w).
Weiss, Jeffrey, ed. Mark Rothko. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998: 341, cat. 26 (color).
Stewart, Jessica. “Chronology.” In Mark Rothko, edited by Jeffrey Weiss. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998: 341.
Kramer, Hilton. “Rothko's Surreal Killer May Have Been Greenberg.” New York Observer, June 15, 1998: 27.
Naves, Mario. "Mark Rothko at the Whitney." New Criterion 17, no. 3 (November 1998): 53.
Stewart, Jessica. “Chronologie.” In Mark Rothko, by Jeffrey Weiss et al. Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris, 1999: 259.
Rosenblum, Robert. On Modern American Art: Selected Essays. New York, 1999: 103, fig. 57 (b/w).
Weiss, Jeffrey, et al. Mark Rothko. Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris, 1999: 259, cat. 15 (color).
Gamwell, Lynn, ed. Dreams 1900 – 2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind. Binghamton University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, 2000: 45, 83, 273, plate 112 (color).
Gamwell, Lynn. “Dream Archive.” In Dreams 1900 – 2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, edited by Lynn Gamwell. Binghamton University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, 2000: 273.
Kuspit, Donald. “From Vision to Dream: The Secularization of the Imagination.” In Dreams 1900 – 2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, edited by Lynn Gamwell. Binghamton University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, 2000: 83.
Wick, Oliver, ed. Mark Rothko. Palazzo delle esposizioni, Rome, 2007: 61n8.
Terenzi, Claudia. “Rothko: Exhibitions and Critical Reception in Italy.” In Mark Rothko, edited by Oliver Wick. Palazzo delle esposizioni, Rome, 2007: 61n8.
Collins, Bradford R., ed. Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade, 1940–1950. Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, 2012: 84.
Anfam, David. “Rothko in the 1940s: Of Time and Tide.” In Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade, 1940–1950, edited by Bradford R. Collins. Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, 2012: 84.
Cohen-Solal, Annie. Mark Rothko. Arles, France, 2013: 125.
Cohen-Solal, Annie. Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel. New Haven, CT, 2015: 102.
Anfam, David, ed. Abstract Expressionism. Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2016: 309n31.
Davidson, Susan. "Feminism for the Most Masculine: How Two Women Launched an Art Market." In Abstract Expressionism, edited by David Anfam. Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2016: 309n31.
Greenhalgh, Adam. Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2023: 26, 182, plate 32 (color).
Warnock, Molly. “The Expanse: The Art of Mark Rothko.” Artforum 62, no. 7 (April 2024): 99.
Ferrári, Oreste. "Venticinque anni di Pittura Americana." Arte Figurativa VIII, no. 44 (March-April 1960, no. 2): 58.
Modern American Painting, 1930–1958. York City Art Gallery, York, England, 1960: n.p.
Alloway, Lawrence. "The Biomorphic Forties." Artforum 4 (September 1965): 22, fig. 7 (b/w).
Hunter, Sam. La pittura americana del dopoguerra. Milan, Italy, 1967: 96 (b/w) [reproduced upside down and in reverse].
Hunter, Sam. Modern American: Op, Pop, and the School of Color. New York, 1970: 88 (b/w) [reproduced upside down and in reverse].
Fuller McChesney, Mary. A Period of Exploration: San Francisco 1945–50. Oakland Museum Art Department, Oakland, CA, 1973: n.p.
Zamoiski, Clair. “Chronology.” In Mark Rothko, 1903–1970: A Retrospective, by Diane Waldman. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1978: 271.
Waldman, Diane. Mark Rothko, 1903–1970: A Retrospective. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1978: 271.
Museum of Art, Washington State University. Drawing 1900 – 1945: A Survey of American Works. Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1979: 11.
Mark Rothko 1949: A Year in Transition: Selections from the Mark Rothko Foundation. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, 1983: 8, 6 (b/w).
Schimmel, Paul, and Lawrence Alloway. The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism, Works on Paper, 1938–1948. Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA, 1986: 168, 196, 35 (b/w), cat. 125 (color).
Alloway, Lawrence. “The Biomorphic Forties.” In The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism, Works on Paper 1938–1948, by Paul Schimmel, Lawrence Alloway, Dore Ashton, et al. Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA, 1986: 35 (b/w).
Breitman, Ellen. Rothko entry. In The Interpretive Link: Abstract Surrealism into Abstract Expressionism, Works on Paper 1938-1948, by Paul Schimmel and Lawrence Alloway. Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA, 1986: 168, cat. 125 (color).
Polcari, Stephen. “Mark Rothko: Heritage, Environment, and Tradition.” Smithsonian Studies in American Art 2, no. 2 (Spring 1988): 42-43, fig. 10 (b/w).
Weiss, Jeffrey, ed. Mark Rothko. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998: 341, cat. 26 (color).
Stewart, Jessica. “Chronology.” In Mark Rothko, edited by Jeffrey Weiss. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998: 341.
Kramer, Hilton. “Rothko's Surreal Killer May Have Been Greenberg.” New York Observer, June 15, 1998: 27.
Naves, Mario. "Mark Rothko at the Whitney." New Criterion 17, no. 3 (November 1998): 53.
Stewart, Jessica. “Chronologie.” In Mark Rothko, by Jeffrey Weiss et al. Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris, 1999: 259.
Rosenblum, Robert. On Modern American Art: Selected Essays. New York, 1999: 103, fig. 57 (b/w).
Weiss, Jeffrey, et al. Mark Rothko. Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris, 1999: 259, cat. 15 (color).
Gamwell, Lynn, ed. Dreams 1900 – 2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind. Binghamton University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, 2000: 45, 83, 273, plate 112 (color).
Gamwell, Lynn. “Dream Archive.” In Dreams 1900 – 2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, edited by Lynn Gamwell. Binghamton University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, 2000: 273.
Kuspit, Donald. “From Vision to Dream: The Secularization of the Imagination.” In Dreams 1900 – 2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind, edited by Lynn Gamwell. Binghamton University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, 2000: 83.
Wick, Oliver, ed. Mark Rothko. Palazzo delle esposizioni, Rome, 2007: 61n8.
Terenzi, Claudia. “Rothko: Exhibitions and Critical Reception in Italy.” In Mark Rothko, edited by Oliver Wick. Palazzo delle esposizioni, Rome, 2007: 61n8.
Collins, Bradford R., ed. Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade, 1940–1950. Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, 2012: 84.
Anfam, David. “Rothko in the 1940s: Of Time and Tide.” In Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade, 1940–1950, edited by Bradford R. Collins. Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, 2012: 84.
Cohen-Solal, Annie. Mark Rothko. Arles, France, 2013: 125.
Cohen-Solal, Annie. Mark Rothko: Toward the Light in the Chapel. New Haven, CT, 2015: 102.
Anfam, David, ed. Abstract Expressionism. Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2016: 309n31.
Davidson, Susan. "Feminism for the Most Masculine: How Two Women Launched an Art Market." In Abstract Expressionism, edited by David Anfam. Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2016: 309n31.
Greenhalgh, Adam. Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2023: 26, 182, plate 32 (color).
Warnock, Molly. “The Expanse: The Art of Mark Rothko.” Artforum 62, no. 7 (April 2024): 99.
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