Mark Rothko at Fondation Louis Vuitton

The Fondation Louis Vuitton will open the first Mark Rothko retrospective in France since 1999 on October 18, 2023. The comprehensive exhibition, which will be shown in all of the Fondation’s rooms, will present 115 works by the artist, drawn from the most prestigious international and private collections. It offers a chronological overview of Rothko’s career, from his first figurative paintings to his Surrealist works and the abstract works for which he is known.

The exhibition follows Rothko’s artistic development, from his early work in the 1930s, characterized by intimate scenes and cityscapes, to his transition to a repertoire inspired by ancient myths and Surrealism. It also highlights his important shift to Abstract Expressionism in 1946, marked by floating chromatic masses. This evolution leads to the 1950s “classic” Rothko works with colorful rectangular shapes and varying rhythms.

Special highlights of the exhibition include the never-delivered murals for the Four Seasons restaurant and the first “Rothko Room,” designed in collaboration with the Phillips Collection. Overall, the exhibition allows for a profound exploration of Rothko’s diverse oeuvre, including his preference for a wordless dialogue with the viewer and his aspiration to be more than just a “colorist.”