“I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on. And the fact that a lot of people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions.” — Mark Rothko Artist Mark Rothko sought to make paintings that would bring people to tears. He painted to explore the depths of himself and the human condition. For him, art was a profound form of communication, and art making was a moral act. Born in Latvia in 190

87 reactions · 34 shares | WATCH: Our ‘First Look’ at Mark Rothko’s ‘Untitled’, 1960, which we are honored to offer this spring on behalf of SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to benefit the institution’s Acquisitions Fund. An important work completed at the height of Rothko’s artistic powers, ‘Untitled’, 1960 will travel to London, Taipei and Hong Kong this spring, before returning to New York for exhibition and auction in May. | Sotheby's | Facebook