PBS, 1990

Director Catherine Tatge
Producer Dominique Lasseur
ROBERT MOTHERWELL AND THE NEW YORK SCHOOL:
STORMING THE CITADEL ("American Masters" on PBS, 1990)

The hour-long film is the story of the struggle and eventual triumph of the Abstract Expressionist movement, as seen through the eyes of one of its last survivors. Interwoven with the chronicle of the movement he championed is the personal story of Robert Motherwell, and his development as an artist. Shown painting in his studio and preparing for a retrospective of his work at the Guggenheim Museum in 1985, Motherwell not only articulates the philosophy and goals of the Abstract Expressionists, but also explains his own creative process and growth.

Both a unique document of a crucial turning point in the history of 20th century art and a moving personal story, the one-hour film brings to vivid life the rich artistic milieu of New York in the 1940s and 50s. Among those interviewed are art historian William Rubin, author and art critic Dore Ashton Clement Greenberg, sculptor Philip Pavia, Surrealist Robert Matta, artist Hugh O'Donnell, art historian and curator Henry Geldzahler, gallery owner Sidney Jenis and art historian Jack Flam.