Mark Rothko (Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970) was a Russian-born American abstract painter. He is best known for his colour field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular regions of colour, which he produced from 1949 to 1970. Although Rothko did not personally subscribe to any one school, he is associated with the American abstract expressionism movement of art.

Gerhard Richter (German: born 9 February 1932 is a German visual artist. Richter has produced abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, photographs and glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary German artists and several of his works have set record prices at auction, with him being the most expensive living painter at one time.