How did Mark Rothko's complex trajectory between the Russian empire, the United States and back to Europe impact his own pictorial message? In particular, how can we assess his paintings, namely those of the Rothko Chapel, in light of his European birth and of his Jewish heritage?

Rothko's biographer Annie Cohen-Solal discusses Mark Rothko's trajectory in prelude to her forthcoming Rothko biography, to be published in September 2014 in the Jewish Lives series at Yale University Press.

Cohen-Solal is a cultural historian whose recent book on gallerist Leo Castelli was acclaimed in five languages and won the Artcurial Prize for best book on contemporary art.

A reception on the plaza follows the program.