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Lot 20 is next.

The Mark Rothko
"Orange, Red, Yellow,"

The Mark Rothko
"Orange, Red, Yellow,"

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

and $24 million starts.

$24 million, $25 million,
$26 million, $27 million,

$28 million, $29 million,
$30 million, $31 million,

$28 million, $29 million,
$30 million, $31 million,

$32 million, $33 million,

$45 million, $53 million,
$56 million...

$45 million, $53 million,
$56 million...

Typically for a high-profile lot
that we sell,

you're looking at two to three
minutes would be sort of

an average time frame,

and for the Rothko, the bidding war
lasted for seven minutes,

and for the Rothko, the bidding war
lasted for seven minutes,

with over 50 bids made.

$74 million.
What's that, $75 million?

$75 million, $77-million-5,
and selling to Brett Spitter.

$75 million, $77-million-5,
and selling to Brett Spitter.

Fair warning, all done at
$77,500,000.

Fair warning, all done at
$77,500,000.

Brett Spitter at $77-million-5.

Not only was this sale the world
record for the artist,

Not only was this sale the world
record for the artist,

at the time, it was the most
expensive post-war and contemporary

artwork ever sold in the world.

artwork ever sold in the world.

I think he would have been appalled.

The auction prices now really
reflect a culture in which

paintings are considered
an investment

paintings are considered
an investment

rather than something you really
care about and want to live with.

He often said, "A painting lives
in the eyes of a sensitive viewer,"

He often said, "A painting lives
in the eyes of a sensitive viewer,"

and I think that particular
audience was what he cared about.

I think Rothko is one of our
great American artists.

I think Rothko is one of our
great American artists.

A Rothko is deceptively
simple and yet profound.

A Rothko is deceptively
simple and yet profound.

There's nothing simple about
Rothko's work.

There's nothing simple about
Rothko's work.

It's actually very complex.

If you think it is simple,
you should try to do it yourself.

I think my father really
communicated the seriousness

I think my father really
communicated the seriousness

of painting. The painting wasn't
something just to look at.

It wasn't something that
you appreciated because

It wasn't something that
you appreciated because

it appealed simply to the senses.

I think he wanted the viewer
to look inside themselves

and see what the painting
brought out in them.

and see what the painting
brought out in them.

I've known few people who have sat
in front of Rothko for an hour,

I've known few people who have sat
in front of Rothko for an hour,

and it has literally
changed their life.

Mark Rothko's work opens you up in
ways that you're not expecting.

Mark Rothko's work opens you up in
ways that you're not expecting.

I used to think that Rothko
paintings were just these

I used to think that Rothko
paintings were just these

easy squares...

..and the longer I look at
the Rothko paintings,

the more I see these worlds,

the more I see these worlds,

these kind of locations
that he wants us to go to,

and I like that.
Then it's open, you know?

What is my experience going to be is
gonna be different than what

your experience is gonna be,
and both of them are right.

your experience is gonna be,
and both of them are right.

It's very unusual that he created
something cohesively.

It's very unusual that he created
something cohesively.

A century later,
it can expand into a language

A century later,
it can expand into a language

that we didn't know that we needed.

This chaotic time that we live in,
the angst, the anxiety,

This chaotic time that we live in,
the angst, the anxiety,

all of that is given
a framework by Mark Rothko.

Today is a great time, great context
to revisit a Mark Rothko

Today is a great time, great context
to revisit a Mark Rothko

and sit in front of it
for hours and hours.

and sit in front of it
for hours and hours.

Well, I've played Mark Rothko on
stage a few hundred times now

over the years, and I don't think
I'll ever play as deep

over the years, and I don't think
I'll ever play as deep

and as complicated a role again.

and as complicated a role again.

I think this is-
This is my King Lear.

L-Look at the tension between
the blocks of colour.

L-Look at the tension between
the blocks of colour.

The first thing I connected with
Mark Rothko was the fact that

he was an immigrant.

My parents were
immigrants to the UK.

My parents were
immigrants to the UK.

I think that particular mind-set of
being taken away from your home

and going to a new country and
all the issues and problems

and going to a new country and
all the issues and problems

that you have to confront with that.

My father was born in
Dvinsk, which was then a part

of the Russian Empire.

Dvinsk was part of the Pale of
Settlement, which was this

Dvinsk was part of the Pale of
Settlement, which was this

wide swath of land where Jews
were allowed to live,

and anti-Semitism was rampant.

and anti-Semitism was rampant.

There was an incredible military
presence in Dvinsk.

There was an incredible military
presence in Dvinsk.

His brother Moise writes about
the Cossacks running through town

on horseback and whipping
the townspeople,

and Mark actually suggests that he
has a scar on his nose

and Mark actually suggests that he
has a scar on his nose

that was caused by such a whip.

My father's father and his two older
brothers were conscripted into

My father's father and his two older
brothers were conscripted into

the Tsar's army, and they decided
that they would rather flee than
fight.

It would have been very unlikely
that they would have seen more than

It would have been very unlikely
that they would have seen more than

a couple of winters in the army, so
they decided to emigrate to the U.S.

My father left Dvinsk in 1913.

And they came by steamer to the U.S.
and landed at Ellis Island.

And they came by steamer to the U.S.
and landed at Ellis Island.

Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million
Jews came to the United States

from Imperial Russia.

from Imperial Russia.

They fairly immediately got on
a train to Portland, Oregon.

They fairly immediately got on
a train to Portland, Oregon.

There was a relative,
the Weinsteins,

who had already settled there,

who had already settled there,

and therefore it seemed like
a likely place

for my grandfather
to decide to try to settle.

"My mother fixed me up with one of
those Buster Brown suits.

You don't know what it's like to be
a Jewish kid dressed in a suit

You don't know what it's like to be
a Jewish kid dressed in a suit

made in Dvinsk,
not an American idea of a suit.

Traveling across America,
not able to speak a word of English,

I could never forgive
transplantation to a land

where I never felt at home."

Rothko arrives in this country
as Markus Rothkowitz.

Rothko arrives in this country
as Markus Rothkowitz.

It's an event that shapes his
being his entire life.

And within less than a year
of my father's arrival,

And within less than a year
of my father's arrival,

my grandfather died,
quite young, of cancer.

And Mark had to raise money for
the family by selling newspapers.

And Mark had to raise money for
the family by selling newspapers.

This was something that
a lot of the immigrant kids did

and would come home beaten up
because the other guys didn't want

and would come home beaten up
because the other guys didn't want

another corner taken up.

He also got a job in his
uncle's store,

He also got a job in his
uncle's store,

the New York Outfitting Company
in downtown Portland.

Things sometimes got quiet,
and Mark would doodle or draw on

New York Outfitting wrapping paper.

His uncle happened to come by one
day and say,

"Mark, what are you doing?"

and Mark would show him.

He says, "Uh-uh, you're not gonna be
able to earn a living that way."

He says, "Uh-uh, you're not gonna be
able to earn a living that way."

In high school, Markus Rothkowitz
is a bit of a troublemaker,

In high school, Markus Rothkowitz
is a bit of a troublemaker,

moody, intellectual,
politically interested.

He's very aware of workers' rights,

He's very aware of workers' rights,

fair salaries, decent housing,

and he becomes known
as a mouthy young man.

and he becomes known
as a mouthy young man.

Mark Rothko graduated in three years
from Lincoln High School,

Mark Rothko graduated in three years
from Lincoln High School,

and there was an article in
"The Oregonian" that noted that

three young men had gotten full
scholarships to go to Yale
University

three young men had gotten full
scholarships to go to Yale
University

from the graduating class
of Lincoln High School.

The scholarships are withdrawn
the second year because Yale

wasn't ready to have verbal,
accomplished, politically inclined

wasn't ready to have verbal,
accomplished, politically inclined

Jewish students in the middle of
the bastion of WASP culture.

Jewish students in the middle of
the bastion of WASP culture.

The second year, he supports himself
by working in a laundry downtown,

and he works in
a dining hall with all the swells.

and he works in
a dining hall with all the swells.

He gets through his second year and
decides that he can't go on,

and instead of coming home,
he goes to New York.

and instead of coming home,
he goes to New York.

In the art scene in New York in
the '20s, it's unimaginably small.

In the art scene in New York in
the '20s, it's unimaginably small.

I think everybody knew everybody,
and to study modern art

in any sense, you really went
to the Art Students League.

in any sense, you really went
to the Art Students League.

It's a place where there were open
studios and modelling sessions,

It's a place where there were open
studios and modelling sessions,

and artists dropped in and
connected,

got to know everybody on the scene.

got to know everybody on the scene.

"I went to New York to wander
around, bum about, starve a bit.

"I went to New York to wander
around, bum about, starve a bit.

Then one day, I wandered
into an art class.

All the students were
sketching this nude model.

I thought it was marvellous.

I thought it was marvellous.

I was intoxicated by it,

and right away I decided that was
the life for me."

I think my father's approach
was really a philosophical one

when I look back at how he made his
decision to become a visual artist.

when I look back at how he made his
decision to become a visual artist.

I think he was really searching
around to look for what medium

I think he was really searching
around to look for what medium

he could use to express the ideas
and the emotions he wanted

to convey to the public.

My father became very friendly with
Milton Avery, starting in the 1920s,

which was essential for him
both to have a mentor,

which was essential for him
both to have a mentor,

as an artist, someone he could
really look up to and learn from and

spend time in their studio because
he'd had no experience with that.

spend time in their studio because
he'd had no experience with that.

The Averys actually fed him
a great deal when he really had

barely 2 cents to scrape together
in those early years and

particularly during the Depression.

particularly during the Depression.

I think that if you look at my
father's figurative work from

that period, you can see a lot of
indebtedness to Avery,

that period, you can see a lot of
indebtedness to Avery,

who was painting figurative
paintings,

but highly abstracted,
highly stylised,

not looking to depict
visual reality as we see it,

not looking to depict
visual reality as we see it,

but to capture a feeling and
emotion of time and place.

There are hundreds of early
figurative works by my father,

There are hundreds of early
figurative works by my father,

both on canvas and on paper.

His first paintings, that we know of
are from those early years,

were not terribly promising.

were not terribly promising.

He doesn't seem to have a lot of
facility right out of the gate.

He sticks with it for some reason,
and it's a long career with

He sticks with it for some reason,
and it's a long career with

wonderful twists and
turns until he...

he becomes Rothko, until he finds
himself, you could say.

he becomes Rothko, until he finds
himself, you could say.

In the summer of 1933,
Mark and his new wife, Edith,

In the summer of 1933,
Mark and his new wife, Edith,

hitchhiked across the country
to visit with family in Portland.

hitchhiked across the country
to visit with family in Portland.

And where did they stay?
Not with his mother, no.

With his sister? No.

They camped in the West Hills,
somewhere in the West Hills,

They camped in the West Hills,
somewhere in the West Hills,

overlooking the Willamette
to the east side.

While they were up there,
Mark painted the landscape.

While they were up there,
Mark painted the landscape.

We saw an east side that had trees,
and he gave these very sweet

We saw an east side that had trees,
and he gave these very sweet

watercolour paintings
to members of the family.

My family thought he was a little
crazy sleeping out on the hillside

My family thought he was a little
crazy sleeping out on the hillside

and hitchhiking across the country.

and hitchhiking across the country.

Whenever they came,
I would have a brunch.

Whenever they came,
I would have a brunch.

We had a deck outside of the house,
and I'd gather all the family

that I could, and it was just
a nice warm gathering.

that I could, and it was just
a nice warm gathering.

I think my father's family never
quite understood this whole idea

I think my father's family never
quite understood this whole idea

of being an artist or certainly
what his artwork was about,

and yet he remained very
close to them.

They were central to his life.

They were central to his life.

That's my father, Moise.
This is Albert,

That's my father, Moise.
This is Albert,

and this is Mark.

I felt very close to him, even
though I didn't see him very often

because he lived in New York,
but I used to write letters to him.

because he lived in New York,
but I used to write letters to him.

My mother used to complain
that he never sent home any money.

But he was a poor starving artist.

But he was a poor starving artist.

My father's brothers were far more
practical than he was,

and they went on to pursue careers
as pharmacists,

and they went on to pursue careers
as pharmacists,

which was the family business
for a few generations,

and they were sometimes resentful
that the youngest child went off

and they were sometimes resentful
that the youngest child went off

in pursuing this crazy career as an
artist when he had a mother to
support.

Part of the family used
to make fun of his paintings.

Part of the family used
to make fun of his paintings.

His eldest sister honestly said to
him at that time,

"I don't understand a thing
about your art.

"I don't understand a thing
about your art.

Mark, paint me a picture
that I can understand."

So, as a dutiful brother,
he did paint her a picture

So, as a dutiful brother,
he did paint her a picture

that she could understand,
a small picture.

It's always been remarkable to me
that for the first 25 or 30 years

of his career, my father
created so much artwork,

but it was all done nights
and weekends

but it was all done nights
and weekends

because he had a day job
as a teacher,

and he was selling
essentially zero paintings.

I think he must have questioned many
times whether making art was

I think he must have questioned many
times whether making art was

going to be the answer to what
he was gonna do with his life.

We believe he struggled with
depression, from everything

We believe he struggled with
depression, from everything

we can piece together,
in the very early 1940s.

We know he had a period,
really at least a year,

We know he had a period,
really at least a year,

when he did not really paint.

We also know at that time that his
first marriage was not going well.

She viewed herself as
a jewellery maker, as an artist.

She viewed herself as
a jewellery maker, as an artist.

I don't think my father really
considered her an artist,

and I think that was actually a
source of a fair amount of tension

and I think that was actually a
source of a fair amount of tension

between the two of them.

She wanted him to help her with her
arts, and she felt she was

the one who was supporting the
family, and he was set in pursuing

the one who was supporting the
family, and he was set in pursuing

exactly what he was doing.

So I think it was a tumultuous
relationship,

but his level of depression seems
to have gone beyond

but his level of depression seems
to have gone beyond

just being a reaction
to what was going on around him.

Well, in the late '30s, my father
was working on a series of

Well, in the late '30s, my father
was working on a series of

paintings related to
the New York subway.

It's a very strange and lonely scene
in many ways, and, you know,

It's a very strange and lonely scene
in many ways, and, you know,

that may reflect how he felt.

that may reflect how he felt.

In one way, New York was treating
him well, but in another way,

it was a place where he was really
struggling at the time.

They are very moving and
disturbing images.

Figures almost hiding between and
behind the columns,

very elongated, emaciated.

very elongated, emaciated.

There's a sense of maybe
being in a catacomb.

And you can see almost the
geometric configurations

And you can see almost the
geometric configurations

that he's looking at
and playing with,

that he will be doing in a purely
abstract way 15 years later or so.

What we do here at the
National Gallery, we're caring for

handmade objects that have ended
up here in Washington, D.C.

handmade objects that have ended
up here in Washington, D.C.

This incredibly rare treasured
collection is ours to learn about,

to study, and to take care of.

to study, and to take care of.

The challenge of working with
masterpieces is that they're
irreplaceable.

There's a lot of responsibility on
the conservator making right
decisions,

There's a lot of responsibility on
the conservator making right
decisions,

using the right materials.

The picture I'm working on today is
a late picture of a Rothko,

The picture I'm working on today is
a late picture of a Rothko,

late 1969.

Picture sustained a few impact
cracks from the reverse,

Picture sustained a few impact
cracks from the reverse,

so the canvas was flexed and
the slightly more brittle paint

on the surface cracked.

The cracks have slightly raised,
and you can begin to see the white

The cracks have slightly raised,
and you can begin to see the white

ground below this dark black paint.

What I am doing is just flowing
the right black colour

What I am doing is just flowing
the right black colour

into these cracks...

..so that you don't see them
any more. The cracks just-

..so that you don't see them
any more. The cracks just-

I mean, they haven't physically
closed, but you no longer see

the white of a crack.

Reversibility is a key tenant of
modern conservation,

with the idea being that everything
we do can be safely undone.

So if you apply retouching for
a loss, you want that material

So if you apply retouching for
a loss, you want that material

to be very soluble 50 years from now
if somebody ever needs to remove it.

to be very soluble 50 years from now
if somebody ever needs to remove it.

A lot of what we do is, if you can
get a picture to present well

in the gallery so that your eye
keeps moving across the surface

in the gallery so that your eye
keeps moving across the surface

and doesn't stop,
you've accomplished a lot.

You've probably accomplished
all you need to do.

Pretty much by the mid-'40s,
Rothko evolved a way of painting

with very, very thin paint layers.

with very, very thin paint layers.

He stretches cotton duck canvas, and
he seals it with rabbit-skin glue,

but he pigments the glue first,

but he pigments the glue first,

and then on top of
that coloured layer,

then he'll work with very, very thin
layers of oil paint,

very thin layers of handmade paints,
where he's mixing pigment

very thin layers of handmade paints,
where he's mixing pigment

in damar resin or
he's mixing pigment in eggs.

If you look at any Rothko very
carefully, you'll start to see

If you look at any Rothko very
carefully, you'll start to see

variations in matte and gloss,
variations in opacity,

and these all had to do with how
he changes media.

and these all had to do with how
he changes media.

I think the layering
creates an aura about them.

I think they enticed us
visually to enter them.

I think they enticed us
visually to enter them.

The oil surface can almost push you
away, the viewer,

The oil surface can almost push you
away, the viewer,

whereas these layers that
incorporate different materials

invite you in because some are shiny
and some are not and some are

moving and some are not,
and it's a...

moving and some are not,
and it's a...

It's a much more engaging surface
than something that's just flat.

For me, the best thing about working
on Rothko is having developed

For me, the best thing about working
on Rothko is having developed

this connection over many,
many years, things I've worked on,

things I've instructed
fellows and interns on.

things I've instructed
fellows and interns on.

He's a very special painter to me.

Rothko changed his name in 1940
because of an offhand comment

Rothko changed his name in 1940
because of an offhand comment

by his dealer, who observed that
she had too many Jewish artists,

and she couldn't offer him a show,
and he realised that he could solve

and she couldn't offer him a show,
and he realised that he could solve

this problem by shortening his name
to Mark Rothko, American citizen.

this problem by shortening his name
to Mark Rothko, American citizen.

My father and an
Adolph Gottlieb began to work on

My father and an
Adolph Gottlieb began to work on

a series of paintings which were
highly influenced by Greek myth.

Whereas traditional American
painting wanted to create the

sense of depth, the space of
the real world on the canvas,

sense of depth, the space of
the real world on the canvas,

Rothko and Gottlieb abandoned that,
and they, in very modern,

contemporary voice,
create a flat picture.

In 1943, there's a major exhibition
in which Adolph Gottlieb and

Mark Rothko participate.

Mark Rothko participate.

It is the first foray by
the modern painters of New York.

It is a gauntlet thrown down against
the establishment of American art.

It is a gauntlet thrown down against
the establishment of American art.

It's reviewed in "The New York
Times" by Edward Jewell,

a conservative art critic,
who pans the exhibition,

a conservative art critic,
who pans the exhibition,

who finds in these fledgling
modernists the immigrant voice,

who finds in these fledgling
modernists the immigrant voice,

the non-American voice,
and he's very critical.

Rothko and Gottlieb write a letter
to "The New York Times,"

Rothko and Gottlieb write a letter
to "The New York Times,"

which has now gone down in
history because it's really

a manifesto and it's not
just a complaint.

"We salute this honest, we might say
cordial, reaction to towards

"We salute this honest, we might say
cordial, reaction to towards

our obscure paintings,

and we appreciate the gracious
opportunity that is being offered us

and we appreciate the gracious
opportunity that is being offered us

to present our views.

We do not intend to defend
our pictures.

They make their own defence."

They make their own defence."

"Times" publishes the whole thing,
and midway through,

they articulate these five points.

they articulate these five points.

Number one, "To us art is an
adventure into an unknown world,

which can be explored only by
those willing to take the risks."

which can be explored only by
those willing to take the risks."

Number two, "The world of
the imagination is fancy-free

and violently opposed
to common sense."

and violently opposed
to common sense."

Three, "It is our function as
artists to make the spectator

see the world our way, not his way."
Hmm.

see the world our way, not his way."
Hmm.

Number four, "We are for flat forms
because they destroy illusion

Number four, "We are for flat forms
because they destroy illusion

and reveal truth."

Number five.
"There is no such thing..."

"as good painting about nothing."

"We assert that the subject
is crucial..."

"We assert that the subject
is crucial..."

"which is tragic and timeless."

"Sincerely yours,
Adolph Gottlieb..."

"and Markus Rothko."

"and Markus Rothko."

It's wonderful.

I think it tells a lot about that
particular time that it was written.

I think it tells a lot about that
particular time that it was written.

It introduces language which will
become the common language of

art studios in New York.

art studios in New York.

They were breaking away from
a tradition, and in so doing,

you almost have to destroy the
tradition you're breaking away from.

you almost have to destroy the
tradition you're breaking away from.

It makes perfect sense to me that
they would feel the way they did

because they were striking out,
doing something new and different.

because they were striking out,
doing something new and different.

They knew it, too.

In the mid- to late 1940s in
New York, there was a new artistic

In the mid- to late 1940s in
New York, there was a new artistic

movement emerging that was
uniquely American,

and it came to be known
as abstract expressionism.

A group of artists that included
Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning,

A group of artists that included
Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning,

Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell,
Clyfford Still,

along with Rothko and Gottlieb,

along with Rothko and Gottlieb,

and they were experimenting with
the voice and the look of art.

Before this time, American painters,
they travelled to Europe,

Before this time, American painters,
they travelled to Europe,

then they went home, and nobody
really heard of them again.

Right after World War Il,
all of that changes.

Right after World War Il,
all of that changes.

I think the abstract expressionists
were interested in big ideas,

I think the abstract expressionists
were interested in big ideas,

big concepts based in human energy
and human response.

They launched into the abstraction.

They launched into the abstraction.

You're standing in front of a colour
or standing in front of an abstract
form

You're standing in front of a colour
or standing in front of an abstract
form

and standing in front
of large paintings, I mean,

very large paintings.

I mean, it was just such
a huge achievement or a challenge,

I mean, it was just such
a huge achievement or a challenge,

excitement to paint
something that large.

And this is the great moment for
Rothko in which the physical act

And this is the great moment for
Rothko in which the physical act

of painting becomes the picture
the viewer experiences,

floating colour, wiping it,
re-layering it to discover

the elegance of reflected
light and colour.

the elegance of reflected
light and colour.

These painters are the talk of
the world, and, in some sense,

the centre of the art world shifts
from Europe,

the centre of the art world shifts
from Europe,

from Paris in particular,
to the U.S. and to New York.

It's a huge moment that we're-
We're still dealing with.

In the mid-1940s,

my father moves into his first
purely abstracted style,

which has come to be known
as the Multiforms.

which has come to be known
as the Multiforms.

I believe my father in some way
began to feel that the human figure

I believe my father in some way
began to feel that the human figure

interfered with his ability
to directly connect with his viewer.

"It was with the utmost reluctance
that I found the figure could not

serve my purposes, but a time
came when none of us could use

serve my purposes, but a time
came when none of us could use

the figure without mutilating it."

There were a lot of ideas that
he was playing out with the
Multiforms,

There were a lot of ideas that
he was playing out with the
Multiforms,

and I feel a certain exuberance,
in a refined way.

I mean, I don't think he was
an exuberant person,

I mean, I don't think he was
an exuberant person,

but I-I feel a sense of excitement
in them, that he...

he was getting into something
that was beginning to work.

There's a technical term
called Nihonga,

which is Japanese-style painting.

Feel the paintings done on paper,
stretched over canvas,

Feel the paintings done on paper,
stretched over canvas,

starts with 80 to 100 layers of very
thin mineral pigments,

starts with 80 to 100 layers of very
thin mineral pigments,

just to get it started,

and, yes, I am directly
quoting Rothko when I'm layering.

and, yes, I am directly
quoting Rothko when I'm layering.

I think he would have loved
the material of Nihonga.

It is slow art and slow work,

but I think part of the layering is

but I think part of the layering is

to capture that sense of
time in the layers.

Mark Rothko not only painted in
layers, but he thought in layers.

It's very clear from his writings.

It's very clear from his writings.

He was able to integrate and even
construct a way

the colour fields work,

the colour fields work,

and these layers work
in very subtle ways that

allow for a new world to open up.

allow for a new world to open up.

Just magical to me.

That doesn't make sense,
but that's what you experience.

That doesn't make sense,
but that's what you experience.

Mark Rothko painted the abyss...

..and he's inviting us to stand on
that abyss.

..and he's inviting us to stand on
that abyss.

Now, you can say that is
a despair-filled experience,

but I think it's also
an invitation to hope.

I don't mean this sentimental
feeling of hope,

I don't mean this sentimental
feeling of hope,

but I mean that it makes me want to
go into my studio and paint,

and that is my act of hope.

and that is my act of hope.

My father met my mother shortly
after his first marriage ended.

My father met my mother shortly
after his first marriage ended.

Well, this photo, it's actually one
of the few pictures I have

as a baby with my father,

as a baby with my father,

and there he certainly looks like
a pretty doting father.

Maybe even at the age of 47, 48,
he enjoyed having one of his own

Maybe even at the age of 47, 48,
he enjoyed having one of his own

instead of just teaching children.

I would consider my father
a very concerned father,

certainly a very loving
and involved father.

In some ways, he is my vision of
the classical father,

who was gone 9:00 to 6:00 and,
you know, came home for dinner

and spent a little time with me
in the evening.

and spent a little time with me
in the evening.

Some of my fondest memories are
actually Sunday mornings with him.

Some of my fondest memories are
actually Sunday mornings with him.

My primary memories of them are
sitting in bed, reading the paper,

My primary memories of them are
sitting in bed, reading the paper,

always smoking, always smoking,

and their sheets had multiple,
multiple cigarette burns

and holes in them.

and holes in them.

It's just- It's, like, that's
literally burned into my memory.

In 1949, Rothko develops the style
that will make him one of

the most recognised artists
of the 20th century.

the most recognised artists
of the 20th century.

He finds a format where he can make
full and direct expression

of the ideas he's wanted to
express for so long.

of the ideas he's wanted to
express for so long.

For me, the excitement in '49 to '50
are the way he celebrates the edge.

For me, the excitement in '49 to '50
are the way he celebrates the edge.

Colour blocks come together,

and they begin to sit in
relationship to each other.

It is that gap between in which
the magic begins to develop.

It is that gap between in which
the magic begins to develop.

There's a turning point in your life
that you can just mark and say,

There's a turning point in your life
that you can just mark and say,

"This is when I found my voice,"
voice that is a destination

of everything that
you've done in the past,

and that is a fertile place
for an artist.

He was always in self-doubt mode,

always struggled with his own
internal voice.

always struggled with his own
internal voice.

So when Rothko found his style,

So when Rothko found his style,

he settled in that place of
belonging.

It represented the penultimate
expression of that thing that Rothko

It represented the penultimate
expression of that thing that Rothko

had looked for his entire life.

He found a place to live
and celebrate

He found a place to live
and celebrate

and a vehicle for his anguish.

My father and Pollock and de Kooning
and Motherwell quickly become

household names through articles in
places like Life Magazine.

household names through articles in
places like Life Magazine.

Suddenly, these were the wunderkinds
at age 50 of the art world.

By the '50s, when Rothko hits his
stride, he starts to sell.

Betty Parsons Gallery represents
him, and she does a series of

Betty Parsons Gallery represents
him, and she does a series of

five shows, each of them more
and more successful.

I was walking up to my house last
week, and a couple was passing.

The lady looks inside my window
and says,

"Ooh, I wonder who owns
all those Rothkos."

"Ooh, I wonder who owns
all those Rothkos."

Just like that, I've become a
noun... a Rothko.

A commodity.
An overmantel.A what?

A commodity.
An overmantel.A what?

The overmantels, you know, those
paintings doomed to become

mere decoration over the fireplace
in the fancy-schmancy penthouse.

mere decoration over the fireplace
in the fancy-schmancy penthouse.

Oh, they say to you, "I need
something to work with the sofa."

You understand?

"Something bright and cheery for the
breakfast nook, which is orange.

"Something bright and cheery for the
breakfast nook, which is orange.

You got something in orange or
burnt umber or seafoam green?

Here's a paint chip from
the Sherwin-Williams.

Oh, and can you chop it down
to fit the sideboard?"

Oh, and can you chop it down
to fit the sideboard?"

In 1958, the Seagram's Corporation
finished constructing

an amazing modernist building on
Park Avenue,

an amazing modernist building on
Park Avenue,

and within this modernist
masterpiece,

there's going to be
a beating heart

and it's gonna be a restaurant
called The Four Seasons.

and it's gonna be a restaurant
called The Four Seasons.

And architect Philip Johnson went to
Mark Rothko and said,

"Why don't you create a series of
murals that could go in our dining
room?"

"Why don't you create a series of
murals that could go in our dining
room?"

The commission was $35,000,
and in 1958,

The commission was $35,000,
and in 1958,

that was a huge amount of money,

reputed to be the most an artist had
ever been paid in America

for a series of works.
My first murals.

for a series of works.
My first murals.

Imagine a frieze all around the
room, a continuous narrative filling

the walls one to another,
each a new chapter,

the walls one to another,
each a new chapter,

the story unfolding.

You look, and they are there,
inescapable and inexorable.

I mean, of all the patrons who could
have approached Mark Rothko,

I mean, of all the patrons who could
have approached Mark Rothko,

Philip Johnson was unique because
he was a provocative voice

in American design and American art,
and Rothko admired him greatly.

in American design and American art,
and Rothko admired him greatly.

So for him, it was the perfect
combination of voices

creating modern art.

creating modern art.

The Seagram paintings,

they're an artist experimenting with
much less colour.

they're an artist experimenting with
much less colour.

This is an enormous challenge
for an artist to take on,

an artist that's known primarily
for colour.

He's doing something very different,

and I think they must have
been very hard for him.

There is some question about what
he was told, what he understood

about what the nature of that
restaurant was going to be.

His story was that he would be
painting for an employees' dining
room and,

His story was that he would be
painting for an employees' dining
room and,

as an old Socialist,
that made him feel, you know,

reasonably comfortable, but I think
he may have known more than that.

reasonably comfortable, but I think
he may have known more than that.

In the fall of 1959, they were
invited to dinner at the restaurant,

In the fall of 1959, they were
invited to dinner at the restaurant,

which since then had been completed,
but I remember their coming home.

which since then had been completed,
but I remember their coming home.

My father was so upset by his visit
to the restaurant

that he came in yelling, you know,
that he was absolutely going to

that he came in yelling, you know,
that he was absolutely going to

withdraw from this, and I'm sure my
mother was trying to calm him down.

Philip? This is Rothko.

Listen, I went to the restaurant
last night, and let me tell you,

Listen, I went to the restaurant
last night, and let me tell you,

anyone who eats that kind of
food for that kind of money

in that kind of joint will never
look at a painting of mine.

in that kind of joint will never
look at a painting of mine.

Now, I-I-I'm sending the money back,
and I'm keeping the pictures.

Ye... No offence.

Yeah, well, this is the way it goes.
Good luck to you, buddy.

I think there must have been
a liberation in that call,

I think there must have been
a liberation in that call,

in realising it was the truest
version of himself.

My father was nothing if not
principled, and ultimately he cared

more about the well-being of his
artwork and the expressive message

more about the well-being of his
artwork and the expressive message

that he was trying to bring
than the prestige of having

the Seagram commission and even the
$35,000, which he sorely needed.

the Seagram commission and even the
$35,000, which he sorely needed.

And so those murals, which he had
laboured on for months

and started again and rebuilt
just went into storage.

and started again and rebuilt
just went into storage.

They effectively were hidden.

I think the Seagram mural process
helped define Rothko

as an individual.

It comes back to his questioning,
his politics, and his reality

as an artist,
the artist as underdog,

as an artist,
the artist as underdog,

as thorn in the side of society,
as observer.

In 1964, my father was commissioned
by the de Menil family of Houston

In 1964, my father was commissioned
by the de Menil family of Houston

to create what was then
going to be a Catholic chapel

on the University of St. Thomas
campus in Houston.

on the University of St. Thomas
campus in Houston.

I think my father felt that
John and Dominique really understood

his seriousness as an artist and

his seriousness as an artist and

the deeper meaning or the deeper
content behind his paintings.

"The magnitude on every level of
experience and meaning of the task

"The magnitude on every level of
experience and meaning of the task

in which you have involved me
exceeds all my preconceptions,

and it is teaching me to extend
myself beyond what I thought

and it is teaching me to extend
myself beyond what I thought

was possible for me.

For this, I thank you."

It must have been a huge
compliment to him.

It must have been a huge
compliment to him.

Not only, in this case, was he given
a space as he was at the Seagram's,

Not only, in this case, was he given
a space as he was at the Seagram's,

here he had an opportunity for
the space and the paintings

to work together, to take the works
of art to another dimension.

to work together, to take the works
of art to another dimension.

In order to create this space,

he found a carriage house on
69th Street in New York.

he found a carriage house on
69th Street in New York.

It allowed him to re-create
three walls of the chapel.

I frequently saw him sitting and
agonising about the paintings,

and I mean down to the inch,
down to every layering of paint,

and I mean down to the inch,
down to every layering of paint,

the exact heights of
the different panels.

the exact heights of
the different panels.

I visited my father in the studio
many times as a child,

and although I never saw him paint,
because he really did not

and although I never saw him paint,
because he really did not

like people to watch him paint -

it was really a solitary
journey for him -

he set up long rolls of paper for
me to paint on and was very
encouraging,

he set up long rolls of paper for
me to paint on and was very
encouraging,

and I was just thrilled to be in
that space

and spending time with him.

I remember his warmth and his
enthusiasm about me being there
with him.

I remember his warmth and his
enthusiasm about me being there
with him.

The Rothko Chapel is very
much dark paintings.

The Rothko Chapel is very
much dark paintings.

An urban legend is that he painted
these paintings 'cause he was
so depressed.

They were a sign,
an omen of his upcoming death.

They were a sign,
an omen of his upcoming death.

I don't think it was that at all.

I look at it that it was a natural
progression of where he was going.

I look at it that it was a natural
progression of where he was going.

He had done so much with colour.

He was a master of colour and its
ability to affect the viewer.

His next step was to take
the challenge to eliminate it.

Could he still make paintings?

Could he still make works of art
that had that effect?

Could he still make works of art
that had that effect?

To enter into Rothko Chapel is

To enter into Rothko Chapel is

to enter into a person's soul.

It's kind of a Zen experience.

To be surrounded by these works...

To be surrounded by these works...

..and feel your way into a painting
rather than seeing them,

..and feel your way into a painting
rather than seeing them,

you can directly go to the emotions,
the feeling,

and that's a contribution that I
think very few artists have ever
reached.

and that's a contribution that I
think very few artists have ever
reached.

The Rothko Chapel remains, I think,
a very difficult space for me.

It's one that I don't walk into
without thinking

It's one that I don't walk into
without thinking

that I'm going to spend
some time there.

The chapel doesn't just invite.

The chapel doesn't just invite.

It really demands the viewer
to spend time

and think about the big questions.

I like being in the chapel because I
like the sense of being with self,

and it's really a remarkable
sensation to go in the chapel

and it's really a remarkable
sensation to go in the chapel

that's quiet and cool and to sit
and to just look at these paintings

that's quiet and cool and to sit
and to just look at these paintings

and to see the daylight moving
through it.

They're not individual paintings.

The work of art is
the entire experience.

The work of art is
the entire experience.

It's the space. It's the light.

It's the paintings.

It's a wonderful experience.
I encourage everyone to do it.

It's a wonderful experience.
I encourage everyone to do it.

Rothko finishes the chapel murals
in 1967, and they go into storage.

Rothko finishes the chapel murals
in 1967, and they go into storage.

The chapel won't open until 1971.

It was a moment at which he had
completed the most important work

of his life, in his mind,
and then in April 1968,

of his life, in his mind,
and then in April 1968,

he suffers a dissecting
aortic aneurysm.

he suffers a dissecting
aortic aneurysm.

It is one of the most serious things
that can happen to you,

short of a heart attack or stroke.

And for the next year and a half,
he struggles.

And for the next year and a half,
he struggles.

His doctor doesn't want
him to work on canvas.

Physically, he can't lift his
arms over 40 degrees.

Physically, he can't lift his
arms over 40 degrees.

It's actually a small
miracle that he survived this

because it was a significant-
It was a large rupture.

Only mode of treatment was to lower
the blood pressure fairly extremely,

Only mode of treatment was to lower
the blood pressure fairly extremely,

and I think, you know,
that not only exhausted him, but,

and I think, you know,
that not only exhausted him, but,

you know, may have contributed in
itself to his depression, as well.

After that time,

he really was limited in what
he could do with his paintings.

he really was limited in what
he could do with his paintings.

However, it's interesting because
that was perhaps his...

One of his most prolific six to
eight months of his entire career.

One of his most prolific six to
eight months of his entire career.

He starts what have become known as
the Black on Gray canvases,

as well as a series of ambitious
large-scale works on paper.

as well as a series of ambitious
large-scale works on paper.

And then, surprisingly, a group of
large papers in pastels,

And then, surprisingly, a group of
large papers in pastels,

which is perhaps the most amazing,

a real departure
also from what he had ever done.

I believe now, looking back,
that he was struggling with

an underlying depressive illness.

Certainly there were
family problems.

Certainly there were
family problems.

He had separated from my mother,
which was difficult.

He was living in the studio, which
must have been a difficult setting,

He was living in the studio, which
must have been a difficult setting,

I think a depressing
setting in a lot of ways.

On February 25, 1970, some time
in the early hours of the morning,

as far as we know,
my father took his own life, um...

as far as we know,
my father took his own life, um...

..and he was found the next morning
by a young man who had been

..and he was found the next morning
by a young man who had been

assisting him in the studio during
that period, and, um...

..only subsequently did my mother
come to the studio and see him.

I was surprised, but not as
devastated as when my mother

I was surprised, but not as
devastated as when my mother

told me how it had happened.

My first reaction was that he had
died of something related

My first reaction was that he had
died of something related

to his illness.

My father had worked for four years
exclusively on the chapel
commission.

My father had worked for four years
exclusively on the chapel
commission.

He did not live to see it.

He died just as construction
was beginning.

So all plans had been completed,

but he never was able to see
the space himself.

but he never was able to see
the space himself.

But he did have the experience of
the mural in his studio,

so he certainly had a sense of it,
and he was very proud of it.

so he certainly had a sense of it,
and he was very proud of it.

He had his official portrait taken,
obviously satisfied with them.

People definitely seek out the
Rothko room here at Tate Modern.

I think we can confidently say
that it's seen by millions

of people every year.

I think one would like to believe
that there is a sense of

I think one would like to believe
that there is a sense of

the longevity of the artist
through this room.

It did become a space which is in
tune with Rothko's own wishes

about it.

It is a place to decompress and to
think about bigger issues in life.

It is a place to decompress and to
think about bigger issues in life.

People are still obsessing about his
work, and his work is still

being analysed and re-evaluated.

being analysed and re-evaluated.

I think he would
have been very happy with that.

I mean, I think the fact that people
are still engaged in a dialogue,

in a relationship with his
work probably the best thing

in a relationship with his
work probably the best thing

any artist could wish for.

Part of what he wanted was

future generations to find his work

so inspiring and challenging.

so inspiring and challenging.

And that impossibility of
Mark Rothko is a puzzle

And that impossibility of
Mark Rothko is a puzzle

that I want to be part of,
to open up,

not to solve, but to open up to
the next generation and beyond.

not to solve, but to open up to
the next generation and beyond.

"The most important tool the artist
fashions through constant practice

is the faith in his ability
to produce miracles

when they are needed.

when they are needed.

Pictures must be miraculous."

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