Mark Rothko's Exhibition

“I became a painter because I wanted to raise painting to the level of poignancy of music and poetry.” - Mark Rothko
Fondation Louis Vuitton is tracing Mark Rothko’s evolution with a grand exhibition spread across 4 floors of its Frank Gehry–designed building: from Rothko’s earliest figurative paintings to the abstract works that he is most known for today.

The retrospective brings together some 115 works from the largest international institutional and private collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the artist’s family, and the Tate in London.
The exhibition follows the chronology of the artist’s life, opening with intimate scenes and urban landscapes from the 1930s before he transitioned to expressions of the tragic dimension of the human condition during the Second World War, inspired by ancient myths and surrealism. The retrospective further explores his post-war multi-form works, followed by his “classic” paintings.

Collector and Fondation president Bernard Arnault states in the catalogue that this exhibition is “the fulfilment of a long-standing personal wish” for one of his favourite artists and that for him, “every work is absolutely unique.”
This transcendent show is curated by Suzanne Pagé and Christopher Rothko, the artist’s son, with François Michaud and Ludovic Delalande, Claudia Buizza, Magdalena Gemra, Cordélia de Brosses.

Articulating his own new language, Mark Rothko’s creations evoke a radiance that springs from the interior, rather than the light of the world. The permanence of Rothko’s questioning, his desire for wordless dialogue with the viewer, and his refusal to be seen as a “colourist” are all elements allowing a new interpretation of his multifaceted work in this exhibition.
The exhibition is on view until 2 April 2024 Fondation Louis Vuitton8 av. du Mahatma Gandhi