Rothko's Seagram Murals - Part V

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Rothko's Seagram Murals: 

A Tumultuous Journey to the Tate
Part V

Mark Rothko, Red on Maroon (Section 5), 1959

However, arguably the most important factor in his decision to donate his works to the Tate Museum was the fact that the Tate was willing to work with Rothko in order to meet his exact wishes and requirements. Rothko was very particular in his specifications for exhibitions; Reid knew that Rothko could, and would, pull out of the negotiations, as he had in the past with the Seagram commission, if he was not completely satisfied with the arrangements. Throughout the process of negotiating the terms of his gift, Rothko was extremely concerned with the exact layout and scheme of his gallery space:

"Rothko asked Reid to send him a model of the gallery room so that he would have a better idea of what would be a feasible arrangement. In September Reid sent him a plan of gallery 18, and in November he brought him a simple cardboard fold-up model. Together they selected eight of the dark mural panels and canvas studies to join the mural already at the Tate" (Clearwater and Rothko 47-8).

Rothko was so caught up in the details that he even sent Reid a sample of the color on his studio walls, so that the gallery could be painted to match (Ashton 156). Reid agreed to all of Rothko’s terms; the main reason Rothko’s gift was realized was due to the fact that Reid was willing to concede almost any point to Rothko.

Ed. Note: Barstow alumna Sydney Ayers, '09, has graciously allowed My Kid Could Paint That to publish one of her recent papers on Mark Rothko. We will present the paper in seven parts. Ayers studies art history at Dartmouth University, and this spring she will complete her senior honors thesis on the English country houses of architect Robert Adam.

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