Mallarme's Swan

Mallarme's Swan — Robert Motherwell. 1944.

Medium: collage using gouache, crayon and paper on cardboard. Dimensions: Unframed: 110.5 x 90.2 cm (43 1/2 x 35 1/2 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

This drawing is one of several works that Robert Motherwell made in tribute to the French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–1898). A member of the New York School, Motherwell stood out among his contemporaries for his literary references within a movement that otherwise favored pure abstraction. He worked in collage, the process used here, for much of his career, expressively tearing and layering paper and everyday materials.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.