Mark Rothko's luminous art is presented here for the first time in a definitive work. Diane Waldman has written a major historical and critical essay on this pioneer of abstract color painting, now regarded as one of the leading artists of the mid-twentieth century. Based on the important retrospective presented at the Guggenheim Museum in 1978, the book treats Rothko's work in unprecedented richness and depth. The works in the exhibition, which date from the 1920s until shortly, were borrowed from the Rothko Estate as well as from public and private collections here and abroad; thus the Guggenheim, as the first institution granted full access to the Estate, was able to draw upon a previously untapped resource. In addition to reproductions of 198 oils and watercolors, 96 in full color, the book contains a wealth of supporting illustrations, including photographs of the artist and his family and friends, many published for the first time.