Mark Rothko's son donates signature painting in "Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea" exhibition
Mark Rothko, Untitled (wharf, Gloucester, Massachusetts), 1934. Watercolor and gouache on construction paper. Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, Massachusetts. Gift of Christopher Rothko, 2026 (2026.022.001). © 2026 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
GLOUCESTER, MASS.—
A monumental and generous gift was made to the Cape Ann Museum by artist Mark Rothko’s son, Dr. Christopher Rothko, who donated his father’s 1934 watercolor and gouache painting, Untitled (wharf, Gloucester, Massachusetts), to the Museum’s permanent collection today. The painting is a signature piece in the current exhibition, Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea, which tells the story of Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, and Milton Avery, three New York artists and friends who summered together on Cape Ann off and on for over three decades.
“My father said that all art was inherently of its time. But sometimes, even with a master of abstraction like Mark Rothko, art can also be inherently of its place,” Dr. Rothko said. “The richly-hued watercolor of Gloucester Harbor that I am gifting to the Cape Ann Museum, is such a piece, capturing details from nearly 100 years ago that can still be seen today.” Untitled (wharf, Gloucester, Massachusetts) comes from Dr. Christopher Rothko’s personal collection.
“My gift reflects my genuine love for this remarkable town and, I am certain, echoes my father’s feelings from his two extended stays—stays that sparked a vivid response from his brush. Now this watercolor is back home where it will be treasured and where it may evoke an extra smile of recognition,” he said. The painting provides a glimpse of Gloucester’s Inner Harbor as seen from East Gloucester. Included in the composition in the foreground are fish flakes on a pier jutting out into the water, and a water town perched atop a wharf structure; in the distance, the city’s main waterfront can be seen.
On September 17 and 18, Rothko and his sister, Dr. Kate Rothko Prizel, will participate in the Cape Ann Museum’s two-day symposium held in conjunction with the Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea exhibition and will discuss their father’s development as an artist.
“It is an extraordinary honor to have Christopher Rothko give this remarkable painting to the Museum,” said Oliver Barker, the Museum’s Director. “This exhibition has revealed an important chapter in Mark Rothko’s artistic development, tracing the evolution of his style during his formative years in Gloucester, where he painted alongside his mentor, Milton Avery, and his friend, Adolph Gottlieb. Harbor and beach scenes were central to Rothko’s experience of Cape Ann and to his emerging artistic vision. We are deeply grateful for this gift and thrilled that Rothko’s first work to enter the Museum’s collection will help audiences understand the profound role Cape Ann played in his artistic evolution.”
Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea is guest-curated by Eliza Rathbone, Chief Curator Emerita at The Phillips Collection. A distinguished scholar with extensive expertise on Rothko, Avery, and Gottlieb. Rathbone’s deep connection to the artists' families enabled her to uncover new insights into their collaborative summers on Cape Ann.
Following its Gloucester debut through Sept. 27, the exhibition will travel to The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., in October 2026—marking the first time an exhibition organized by the Cape Ann Museum will tour to a national museum.
