To the untrained eye it may appear to be nothing more than an unfinished DIY project, but this is in fact a rare work by abstract artist Mark Rothko - which is set to sell for £35million. The painting, No. 36 (Black Stripe) has never appeared at auction before but is seen as one of Rothko's seminal works and has featured in every major museum exhibition about the artist. Rothko is widely regarded as being one of the most important American post-war artists, alongside Jackson Pollock, and this work was completed in 1958 at the height of his influence. Rare: This work by Mark Rothko, No. 36 (Black Stripe), has not been on the market for 30 years and auctioneers expect a bidding war when it goes under the hammer in New York in May . As with most Rothko artworks, the canvas is massive, measuring 5ft 7in by 5ft 2in, and features three rectangles of red, black and orange layered over a red background. The piece is from the collection of the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, Germany, one of Europe's most important and prestigious private museums for contemporary art. Painted by Rothko at the height of his influence in 1958, it is viewed as one of the seminal works by one of America's greatest post-war artists . Enthusiast Frieder Burda acquired the painting more than 30 years ago but has decided to sell it to expand his collection. It will be on view top the public in Hong Kong and London before being offered at auction at Christie's in New York on May 13, where the auctioneers expect a bidding war. Frieder Burda said: 'The decision to part with a work from my collection has been very carefully considered and hasn't been easy for someone like myself who has a very personal relationship with all works of the collection. 'No. 36 (Black Stripe) by Mark Rothko is an exceptional work, a solitaire within the collection from which it is hard to separate.' Brett Gorvy from Christie's said: 'Painted in 1958, this vibrant, powerful and deeply emotive painting was created during Mark Rothko's most influential and acclaimed period. 'Here the artist has arrived at a new structural language of color that was to define his most famous body of works, The Seagram Murals, painted at the same time and which today constitute the celebrated Rothko Room at the Tate Modern, London. 'No. 36 (Black Stripe) is the quintessential Rothko - orange, black and red - passion and blood. This 1961 Rothko, entitled Orange, Red, Yellow, sold for almost £58million when it was auctioned at Christie's in New York in 2012, setting a new record for the artist's work . This Rothko painting is entitled Mural No. 4 and formed part of the artist's famous Seagram Murals set . 'This is the first time that the painting has been on the market for thirty years and we are sure to see a bidding war at the auction in May for this extremely rare and universally enticing work, especially with such a prestigious provenance and exhibition history.' Born in Dvinsk in Russia, he emigrated with his family to Portland, Oregon, in 1913. He was an art student at Yale until 1923, and moved to New York two years later where he began his career. Despite his successful and highly acclaimed career, Rothko was a life-long sufferer of depression, and killed himself in 1970 at the age of 66.
Painting No. 36 (Black Stripe) has been in private collection for 30 years . Rare and highly prized artwork is due to come up for auction in May . Auctioneers are expecting a bidding war to drive the price to £35million .