Barnett Newman. The moment II, (1969).

ADC staff
Emily Hall Tremaine / Collection
15 March 2019 | Updated 12 October 2019

Barnett Newman
The moment II, (1969)
Acrylic on canvas
84 x 72 in. (213.4 x 182.9 cm)
Acquired 1978 from Mrs. Newman


The following is an excerpt from: Christie’s New York. (1988). Contemporary art from the Tremaine Collection, (9 November 1988). (Introduction by Tracy Atkinson, Curator of the Tremaine Collection), (p. 34).

"Newman began creating in 1948 his large, stark canvases interrupted by narrow vertical lines— the ’zip’ paintings for which he is best known. The Moment II is a classic example. According to Harold Rosenberg [1978, p. 24 in Barnett Newman], this line dividing the rectangle was recognized by the artist as his sign and he felt this ’zip’ to be a channel of spiritual tension. After World War II the artist viewed his painting at a painting as a new beginning and likened it to God’s Creation, making Newman’s work religious in subject matter."

The current location of Barnett Newman’s The moment II is unknown. Click to see a photo of the artwork.

To learn more about Barnett Newman’s The moment II since 1978, click the link(s) to article and exhibition compilations with documentation below.

Tremaine Collection artworks and designs in publications (compilation; 1945-present)

→ artdesigncafé - art
ADC staff - 14 Jan 20

Tremaine Collection artworks and designs in publications (compilation; 1945-present) With her extensive communications experience from the 1930s, Emily Hall Tremaine marshalled those skills for the benefit of the artworks and designs that she worked with, 1945-87. This compilation focuses on...

The Tremaine Collection: 20th Century Masters exhibition catalogue (list of photos of artworks and designs) (1984)

→ artdesigncafé - art
ADC staff - 26 Aug 19

The Tremaine Collection: 20th Century Masters exhibition catalogue (list of photos of artworks and designs) (1984) The following is a photo index of the catalogue accompanying the exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT (26 February - 29 April 1984). The following photos of artworks...

Tremaine Collection artworks in Tremaine auction catalogues (1988, 1991)

→ artdesigncafé - art
ADC staff - 31 Mar 19

Tremaine Collection artworks in Tremaine auction catalogues (1988, 1991) The following are the artworks (with photos) included in the catalogues for the 1988 and 1991 Tremaine Collection auctions. (While famous auctions, only a small portion of the collection was auctioned.) Selected media...

Tremaine Collection artworks and designs in exhibitions (compilation; 1945-present)

→ artdesigncafé - art
ADC staff - 16 Jun 16

Tremaine Collection artworks and designs in exhibitions (compilation; 1945-present) Starting with their Miller Company Collection of Abstract Art, Burton Tremaine and Emily Hall Tremaine, known for her great eye, built a collection of works which were featured in hundreds of exhibitions. After...