Mark Rothko retrospective to open at Fondation Louis Vuitton in October 2023
The major Mark Rothko exhibition will bring 115 works to Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Mark Rothko’s work is set to be the focus of a major new exhibition from Fondation Louis Vuitton in October 2023, marking the first retrospective in France since 1999’s exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
A comprehensive selection of works traces the career of Rothko (1903 – 1970), from his early figurative works to his most well-known abstract pieces. The exhibition will encompass around 115 works, loaned by the artist’s family and private collections, as well as institutions including the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and the Tate Gallery in London.
The exhibition begins with an exploration of Rothko’s works produced in the 1930s, before he developed his distinctive abstract expressionism and leaning towards deep red and ochre hues. Here, his early scenes and landscapes are studied, leading into his 1940s exploration of spatial proportions characterised in ‘multiforms’.
Classic works of the 1950s sit alongside Rothko’s commissions, including the 1958 series of wall paintings he created for the original Four Seasons restaurant, designed by Phillip Johnson, in New York’s Seagram Building, the construction of which was overseen by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (closed in 2016, its interiors were reimagined by Isay Weinfeld in 2018).
Also faithfully included is the permanent room dedicated to the artist by the Phillips Collection in 1960, the ‘Rothko Room’, which the artist helped design.
Curators Suzanne Pagé and Christopher Rothko, with François Michaud and Ludovic Delalande, Claudia Buizza, Magdalena Gemra and Cordélia de Brosses, place Rothko works alongside Alberto Giacometti’s large-scale figures in a generously proportioned room in the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton, in a nod to Rothko’s vision for his uncompleted Unesco commission.
‘Mark Rothko’ at the Fondation Louis Vuitton takes place 18 October 2023 to 2 April 2024
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Hannah Silver joined Wallpaper* in 2019 to work on watches and jewellery. Now, as well as her role as watches and jewellery editor, she writes widely across all areas including on art, architecture, fashion and design. As well as offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, Hannah is interested in the quirks of what makes for a digital success story.
-
Summer perfumes that transport you to a dream vacation
Take a trip around the world with these unisex summer perfumes inspired by Californian beaches, Ibizan parties, Mexican jungles, and more
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Eternity rings for the modern couple
Eternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Make for Margate, the creative corner of Kent where change is the new constant
Discover Margate, the UK seafront town, whose spruced-up image is being driven by smart hotels, cultural attractions, and inviting dining spots, as recommended by travel journalist and regular visitor Josephine Price
By Josephine Price Published
-
Suzannah Pettigrew explores the distortion of memory in ‘A Sphinx Looking for a Poet’
London-based artist Suzannah Pettigrew displays her spectral imagery in an exhibition at Dover Street Market, Paris
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol’s fruitful partnership explored in Paris
Fondation Louis Vuitton presents ‘Basquiat x Warhol. Painting 4 Hands’, exploring the collaboration between the two artists
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Paul Smith on art directing Pablo Picasso
Art directed by Paul Smith, ‘Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light!’ at Paris’ Musée Picasso is a contemporary reframing of Picasso’s collection 50 years after his death. Deyan Sudjic speaks to Smith about his vision for the show
By Deyan Sudjic Published
-
Paris art exhibitions: a guide to exhibitions this weekend
As Emily in Paris fever puts the city of love at the centre of the cultural map, stay-up-to-date with our guide to the best Paris art exhibitions
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Cyprien Gaillard on chaos, reorder and excavating a Paris in flux
We interviewed French artist Cyprien Gaillard ahead of his major two-part show, ‘Humpty \ Dumpty’ at Palais de Tokyo and Lafayette Anticipations (until 8 January 2023). Through abandoned clocks, love locks and asbestos, he dissects the human obsession with structural restoration
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s final work, L‘Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, is preserved in a new limited-edition book
A new book ‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris’, chronicles how the artists’ final work, 60 years in the making, came to fruition
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Alicja Kwade’s installation ‘brings the stars down’ onto Place Vendôme
Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade has adorned Place Vendôme with an interactive installation comprising natural stone spheres and concrete stairs, as part of the Paris+ par Art Basel ‘Sites’ project
By Flora Vesterberg Last updated
-
Ugo Rondinone reflects on bodies and nature at Petit Palais
Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone takes over the beaux-arts halls of the Petit Palais with a monumental film installation and sculptures of trapeze dancers
By Jessica Klingelfuss Last updated