The weekly arts strand. Ends 7.55pm.
The first in a new four-part series exploring the stories behind the art in the new Tate Modern gallery.
On 25 February 1970, the same day that the great American abstract artist Mark Rothko committed suicide, nine large canvases painted by him - the Seagram Murals - arrived at the Tate gallery. These were originally commissioned for a New York restaurant but withdrawn by the artist, after which the then director of the Tate, Norman Reid, convinced Rothko that a quiet, meditative room would be set aside for their display at the gallery. This intimate documentary portrait of an intense, dedicated artist contains contributions from Norman Reid, architect Philip Johnson, artist Sean Scully, and Rothko's children and associates.
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