Modal Tide

Date1940

Maker Mark Tobey American, born Centerville, Wisconsin, 1890; died Basel, Switzerland, 1976

Label TextThis painting is an example of the abstraction that Tobey was practicing almost exclusively beginning in the early 1940s. Its continuous, meandering line suggests the influence of Surrealist automatism, the practice of painting spontaneously according to the unmediated direction of the subconscious. Modal Tide was added to the SAM collection after winning a prestigious award at the museum’s annual juried show. Its success, however, was tempered by public opinion. Blistering criticism of this work in the local press sparked heated debate around abstraction, compelling the museum, in the words of its founder, Dr. Richard E. Fuller, to “clarify some points in regard to contemporary art” and educate the public on its significance.

Object number40.58

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

Exhibition HistoryTacoma, Washington, Tacoma Art Museum, Northwest Mythology: The Interactions of Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan and Guy Anderson, May 3- Aug. 10, 2003 Olympia, Washington, Governor's Mansion, 1981. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, 26th Annual Exhibition of Northwest Artists, 1940 San Francisco, California, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by Mark Tobey, Mar.31-May 6, 1951 (Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, May 20-June 27, 1951; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California, Aug. 16- Sept. 9, 1951; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Oct. 4-Nov. 4, 1951). Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Mark Tobey: A Retrospective Exhibition from Northwest Collections, Sept. 11-Nov. 1, 1959 (Portland Art Museum, Oregon, 12/59 - 1/60, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Co, 1/60 - 2/60, Pasadena Art Museum, CA, 2/60 - 3/60, M. H. DeYoung Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA, 3/60 - 4/60. (09/11/1959 - 04/30/1960) Anchorage, Alaska, Methodist University of Alaska, "The Artists, 1960", (1960 - 1960) Seattle, Washington, Seattle World's Fair, Fine Arts Pavilion, organized by Seattle Art Museum, "Mark Tobey Exhibition", 1962. (April 1962 - October 1962) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, "The Seashore: Paintings of the 19th and 20th Centuries", 1965. (1965 - 1965) Renton, Washington, Renton Creative Arts Festival, "Invitational Exhibition", 1967. (1967 - 1967) Spokane, Washington, Eastern Washington State Historical Society, "Mark Tobey Retrospective", 1968. (1968 - 1968) Seattle, The Bon Marche, Mark Tobey Paintings From Private Northwest Collectors, April 23-May3, 1969. [Exhibition to benefit The Cornish School of Allied Arts]. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Tobey's 80: A Retrospective Exhibition From Northwest Collectors", December 3, 1970 - January 31, 1971. (12/03/1970 - 01/31/1971) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Northwest Traditions", June 29 - December 10, 1978. Circuit: Des Moines Art Center, Iowa, 3/19 - 4/29/79. (06/29/1978 - 04/29/1979) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "75th Anniversary, West Seattle Art Club, Katherine B. Baker Memorial Purchase Award", April 3 - June 3, 1985. (04/03/1985 - 06/03/1985) Miami, Florida, The Art Gallery, Miami-Dade Community College, "Mark Tobey 1930 - 1967: A Selection of Works From the Seattle Art Museum", December 1, 1975 - January 29, 1976. (12/01/1975 - 01/29/1976) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, From New York to Seattle: Case Studies in American Abstraction and Realism, Jan. 15, 2020 - June 5, 2022 [on view Jan. 15, 2020 - May 9, 2021].Published ReferencesBalken, Debra Bricker. Mark Tobey: Threading Light. New York: Skira Rizzoli in association with the Addison Gallery of American Art: 2017; p. 47, reproduced pl. 9. Jaeger, Veronique, et al. Mark Tobey: Tobey or Not Tobey. Exh. Cat. Paris: Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, 2020; p. 38, reproduced fig. 25 [not in exhibition].

Credit LineGift of the West Seattle Art Club, Katherine B. Baker Memorial Purchase Prize, 26th Annual Exhibition of Northwest Artists

Dimensions34 1/2 x 47 3/8 in. (87.6 x 120.4 cm) Overall h.: 39 1/2 in. Overall w.: 52 3/4 in.

MediumOil on canvas