William Scott
May 1, 1961

ExpandFavorite

Artist William Scott British, born Scotland, 1913–1989

CultureBritish

Titles

May 1, 1961

Date1961

PlaceScotland

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions72 × 48 in. (182.9 × 121.9 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number62.9

Not on view

Explore Further

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionWilliam Scott formed a profound friendship with Mark Rothko after their first encounter in New York in 1953, and like Rothko he became fascinated with the possibility of working with a restricted range of colors while building up a tension between surface and underpainting. “What interests me in the beginning of a picture is the division of spaces and forms, these must be made to move and animated like living matter,” Scott explained. “I am extremely interested in textural qualities—the thick paint, the thin paint, the scratched lines, the almost careful–careless way in which a picture’s painted.”

Provenance[The British Council]; purchased by MFAH, 1962.
Exhibition History"6th Sao Paulo Biennial", 1961, no. 8.

"Art at Midcentury: Spotlight on the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 13–September 3, 2001.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Signed verso in pencil on top canvas edge: W SCOTT

Labels on verso top left corner:

FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT
THE BRITISH COUNCIL
ARTIST William Scott
TITLE May 1st, 1961
COLLECTION The Artist
EXHIBITION VIth International / Biennale, Sao Paulo, 1961
Catalogue No. 8.

WILIAM SCOTT (1913)
1o DE MAIO, 1961.

vendido
SR. SWEENEY
56

[uUnintelligible Italian waterstained handwriting]
ALFANDEGA MARITIMA
[unintelligible Argentin? Sta?]
VISTO
[unintelligible...]
N.o

THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
1001 BISSONNET HOUSTON 77005 TEXAS
62-9 WILLIAM SCOTT: "May 1, 1961"
oil on canvas 72"h. x 48"w.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.