FRANK STELLA

Frank Stella is one of the most important American artists of all time, a defining figure of abstract art whose work has been at the forefront of minimalism, post-painterly abstraction and public art for over seven decades.

Stella reacted against the expressive use of paint by most painters of the abstract expressionist movement, instead finding himself drawn towards the “flatter” surfaces of Barnett Newman’s work and the “target” paintings of Jasper Johns. He began to produce works that emphasized the picture-as-object, rather than the picture as a representation of something, be it something in the physical world, or something in the artist’s emotional world.

The artist pushed the boundaries of post-war modern art and abstraction. His painting surfaces have changed a lot over the years. Flat paintings gave way to giant collages. They turned into sculpture and then headed in the direction of architecture. Through the years, Stella has experimented with various color palettes, canvases and mediums. He moved from Minimalism to Maximalism, adopting new techniques and using bold colors, shapes and curving forms.

He developed his own unique style, which over the years became more complex and flamboyant. From the geometric forms and simple lines of his early works to vibrant colors, dynamic and curved shapes, complex networks of line and 3-D designs of his baroque and even fantastical late pieces, Stella continues creating revolutionary and groundbreaking art.

Stella is the author of many essays and articles exploring painting and abstract art in particular. He has been the recipient of a great many honors and awards internationally and 2009 he received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.

Stella has exhibited his work internationally since 1959 and has been the subject of several retrospectives, most recently in 2015 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, (New York, NY, USA). In 2000, he became the only American artist to be given a solo show at London’s Royal Academy.

Courtesy Gary Tatintsian Gallery