Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was one of a small group of great artists who helped establish New York as the dominant centre of world art in the 1950s, where he was one of the leading artists of the American-led Abstract Expressionist movement. Rothko's work was considered controversial in his elimination of line, leaving only colour to convey content. He remarked that he was no colourist and that to think so was to misunderstand his art, yet colour was his sole medium. At his death in 1970 Rothko left an immense store of paintings which became the subject of a celebrated lawsuit that brought the artist, his work and associates into the public eye.