Mark Rothko

Morton M. Deutsch, New York (acquired circa 1945)
By descent to the present owner in 1990

Sakura City, Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art; Marugame-shi Inokuma Gen'ichirō Gendai Bijutsukan; Nagoya-shi Bijutsukan; Tōkyō-to Gendai Bijutsukan, Mark Rothko, September 1995 - March 1996, cat. no. 11, p. 85, illustrated in color
Rome, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Mark Rothko, October 2007 - January 2008, cat. no. 19, p. 94, illustrated in color
Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung; Hamburger Kunsthalle, Mark Rothko Retrospective, February - August 2008, p. 15 

David Anfam, Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas, Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven, 1998, cat. no. 180, p. 187, illustrated in color
Exh. Cat., Basel, Fondation Beyeler, Mark Rothko, "A consummated experience between picture and onlooker," 2001, fig. 12, p. 25, illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. There are scattered pinpoint nicks to the gesso as well as a few scattered losses primarily at the corners; the largest loss measures three quarters of an inch and is located at the extreme bottom right corner. There are clusters of irregularly shaped linear abrasions; each cluster measures approximately one and a half inches and are located as follows (clockwise): one located five inches from the top and six and a half from the left; another is located five inches from the top and three and three quarters inches from the left; a third is located seven inches from the top and two and a half inches from the left and the last is located one inch from the bottom and six and half inches from the left. Under ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Framed under glass.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in the same year that Marcus Rothkowitz exhibited under the name Mark Rothko for the first time at the Neumann-Willard Gallery, the present painting illustrates the artist's interest in figurative and socially-conscious canvases at that time. Untitled (Study for Social Security Building Mural) was rendered for a 1940 competition to secure the commission to execute murals for the Washington D.C. Social Security building. Although the commission would ultimately be secured by Philip Guston, the present work importantly serves as a visual precursor to the Rothko's mature style, illustrating a nascent exploration of abstract shapes and colors within the recognizable figurative imagery.

In the present work, Rothko renders Benjamin Franklin, a historical figure long credited as being at the heart of American values and character. In American history, Franklin is synonymous with democratic values of thrift, hard work, education and community spirit. He personally fought authoritarianism, both political and religious, and embraced the tolerant values of the Enlightenment. For Rothko, who immigrated with his family to America from Russia in 1913, escaping persecution in Russia for their faith, and who was equally dissatisfied with the increasingly intolerant views during the years of the war when one's faith and political allegiances were questioned, the progressive views of the subject matter married beautifully to the equally advanced aesthetic and philosophical spirit of the artist.