Art, literature & historyArshile Gorky
1904–1948
Selected artwork
Water of the Flowery Mill
1944
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Other names (27)
Adoian Gorky, a. gorky, Archele Gorki, Archele Gorky, Archel Gorky, Arschille Gorky, Arshele Gorky, Arshile Gorkij, Arshile Gorky, Arshile Gorky, Arshile Gorky Adoian, Arshil Gorki, Arshil Gorki Adoyan, Arshil Gorʹkiĭ, Arshil Gorky, Osdanig-Manug Atoian, Osdanig-Manug Atoyan, Ostanik-Manuk Adoian, Ostanik-Manuk Adoyan, Ostanik-Manuk Adoyean, Vosdanig Adoian, Vosdanig Manoog Adoian, Vosdanik Adoian, Vostanik-Manuk Adoian, Wostanig Adoyan, Аршил Горки, Արշիլ Գորկի
Biography
Arshile Gorky ( AR-sheel GOR-kee; born Vostanik Manoug Adoian, Armenian: Ոստանիկ Մանուկ Ատոյեան; April 15, 1904 – July 21, 1948) was an Armenian-American painter. At first influenced by Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Gorky's later work presaged and exerted a seminal influence on abstract expressionism. Along with Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning, Gorky has been hailed as one of the most powerful American painters of the 20th century. Gorky's experience as a survivor of the Armenian genocide had a crucial influence on his work.
Wikipedia contributors. Opening excerpt, formatted for reading. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision.
Influenced by
- Pablo Picassoeditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Roberto Mattaeditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Wassily Kandinskyeditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
Later influence
- Gene Daviseditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified.
- Alice Trumbull Masoneditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified.
- Seyran Khatlamajyaneditorial inference
Evidence
The biography identifies Gorky as an inspiration for Khatlamadjian's later abstract painting. Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
Artworks by year
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Museums & collections
Documented holdings of works attributed to Arshile Gorky. Check the museum’s record for current display information.
- Art Institute of Chicago12 recorded works
- Museum of Modern Art8 recorded works
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art8 recorded works
- Smithsonian American Art Museum3 recorded works
- The Cleveland Museum of Art2 recorded works
- Baltimore Museum of Art1 recorded work
- Buffalo AKG Art Museum1 recorded work
- Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian1 recorded work
- Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum1 recorded work
- Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, CA, US1 recorded work
- Tate1 recorded work
Sources 11
- Armenian and Georgian artist authority evidence
- Armenian painters — source authority and artwork research
- Wikidata (CC0)
- Country research — museum-connected artworks and verified painter affiliations
- Museum authority country review
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Museum authority country review
- Tate Collection metadata (October 2014 snapshot)
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Expanded artwork research — official museum evidence
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)