Rothko masterpiece sells for millions, again!

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Published time: May 09, 2012 10:18
Edited time: May 09, 2012 14:18

A sought-after painting by the Russian-born American pioneer of abstract expressionism, Mark Rothko, has gone under the hammer for $86.9 million in New York, setting a record over four decades after the painter's death.

­Christie's explained that ''Orange, Red, Yellow'' was the most important Rothko to come on the market since 2007, when his “White Center'' from the David Rockefeller collection sold for $72.8 million, the previous record.

Like many Jews in 1913, Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz, emigrated from Russia to the United States in the early 20th century. ''Orange, Red, Yellow'' was part of the collection of the late philanthropist David Pincus, on loan at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

His signature abstract masterpieces, created on colossal canvases and exhibited in the world's major museums, feature the juxtaposition of colors. The artist, who studied painting at Yale University, used color as the sole medium of expression, having been greatly influenced by the European Surrealists.