Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum presents Robert Motherwell: Early Collages, an exhibition examining the origins of the American artist's style and the critical role of collage in his oeuvre. Devoted to papiers collés and related works on paper made during the first decade of his career, this exhibition offers a focused exploration of Motherwell's innovations to the medium. While the artist's work has been investigated comprehensively in recent international shows, including a major retrospective that traveled to the Guggenheim Museum in 1984-85, this presentation is the first to extensively chronicle Motherwell's artistic beginnings through the lens of his revelatory encounter with the collage technique, which he described in 1944 as "the greatest of our [art] discoveries."

Robert Motherwell: Early Collages is organized by Susan Davidson, Senior Curator, Collections and Exhibitions, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. It opens at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum following a presentation at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, from May 26 through September 8, 2013.

Image: Robert Motherwell, Jeune Fille, 1944 Oil, ink, gouache, and pasted Kraft drawing paper, colored paper, Japanese paper, German decorative paper, and fabric on canvas board, 61 x 50.5 cm Private collection

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University, St. Louis, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Tucker, 1963

© Dedalus Foundation, Inc./Licensed by VAGA, New York Photo: Courtesy Dedalus Foundation, Inc.