Page "Mark Rothko" Paragraph 70

Rothko received a second mural commission project, this time a wall of paintings for the penthouse of Harvard University ’ s Holyoke Center.

He made twenty-two sketches, from which six murals were completed and only five were installed.

Harvard President Nathan Pusey, following an explanation of the religious symbology of the Triptych, had the paintings hung in January 1963, and later shown at the Guggenheim.

During installation, Rothko found the paintings to be compromised by the room ’ s lighting.

Despite the installation of fiberglass shades, the paintings were removed in the late 1970s and, due to the fugitive nature of some of the red pigments, were placed in dark storage and only displayed periodically.