MOCA Pacific Design Center
The first exhibition devoted solely to works by this historic artist in MOCA’s permanent collection, Mark Rothko features eight major paintings representing various stages of the influential New York School artist’s career. Rothko’s transcendent, luminous color-field paintings are considered a cornerstone of Abstract Expressionism in the US. MOCA’s collection includes Rothko works from the 1940s to 1970, with selections from every decade of his career, though holdings are particularly strong in his paintings from the 1950s—the first decade of Rothko’s “mature” practice, defined by his signature juxtaposition of textured, rectangular forms. Also in the show are examples of early work, including Untitled (14B) (1947) and Yellow and Orange (1949), which explored a broader range of colors and geometries than later works in the artist’s career.