Where to See Rothko Paintings Near You

This season on American Masters, Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous tells the story of the art world giant whose signature color fields helped define the Abstract Expressionist movement. In the late 1940s, Rothko developed a style that would make him famous: large, abstract color fields with luminous rectangular forms that balance depth, shape and hue through the delicate layering of many thin washes of paint. His work has been celebrated for over 60 years now, and since his death in 1970 the value of his painting has continued to rise. Private collectors have paid millions of dollars to own these masterpieces. American Masters — Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous begins with a bidding war at Christie’s auction house over Rothko’s “Orange, Red, Yellow.” Hands fly into the air, the numbers stack up, and after seven minutes a gavel claps the bidding to an end; the painting sells for  $86,882,500. For years, that would be the record for the most expensive sale of a contemporary art piece.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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