Frank Stella: A Retrospective
Oct 30, 2015–Feb 7, 2016
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Harran II, 1967. Polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on canvas. 120 × 240 in. (304.8 × 609.6 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; gift, Mr. Irving Blum, 1982. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936) is one of the most important living American artists. This retrospective is the most comprehensive presentation of Stella’s career to date, showcasing his prolific output from the mid-1950s to the present through approximately 100 works, including paintings, reliefs, maquettes, sculptures, and drawings. Co-organized by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Whitney, this exhibition features Stella’s best-known works alongside rarely seen examples drawn from collections around the world. Accompanied by a scholarly publication, the exhibition fills the Whitney's entire fifth floor, an 18,000-square-foot gallery that is the Museum’s largest space for temporary exhibitions.
Frank Stella: A Retrospective is organized by Michael Auping, chief curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, in association with Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown Director, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and with the assistance of Carrie Springer, assistant curator, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Frank Stella: A Retrospective is jointly organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
In New York, the exhibition is sponsored by
Significant support is provided by
Major support is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston; Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation; Julia W. Dayton; Pamella and Daniel DeVos; Katherine Farley and Jerry Speyer; the Fisher Family; The Marc Haas Foundation, Inc.; the Henry Luce Foundation; Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker; the National Committee of the Whitney Museum of American Art; and an anonymous donor.
Generous support is provided by The Broad Art Foundation, Peter and Betsy Currie, Theodor and Isabella Dalenson, Marcia Dunn and Jonathan Sobel, Louis G. Elson, Ann and Graham Gund, Marguerite Steed Hoffman, Barbara and Tom Israel, Martin Z. Margulies, Scott Mead, Kenneth & Marabeth Tyler, Melissa Vail and Norman Selby, the Bagley and Virginia Wright Foundation, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Additional support is provided by Irma and Norman Braman; Audrey and David Mirvish; the National Endowment for the Arts; Emily Rauh Pulitzer; Paul J. Schupf Lifetime Trust, Gregory O. Koerner Trustee; and anonymous donors.
Significant endowment support is also provided by Lise and Michael Evans, Sueyun and Gene Locks, and the Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation.
The installation of Wooden Star I (2014) and Black Star (2014) on the fifth-floor outdoor gallery is made possible by Marianne Boesky Gallery and Dominique Lévy Gallery.
Artworks
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Empress of India, 1965. Metallic powder in polymer emulsion on canvas. 77 × 224 in. (195.6 × 569 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York; gift of S. I. Newhouse, Jr. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY
Frank Stella, Die Fahne hoch!, 1959. Enamel on canvas, 121 5/8 x 72 13/16 in. (308.9 x 184.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene M. Schwartz and purchase with funds from the John I. H. Baur Purchase Fund, the Charles and Anita Blatt Fund, Peter M. Brant, B. H. Friedman, the Gilman Foundation, Inc., Susan Morse Hilles, The Lauder Foundation, Frances and Sydney Lewis, the Albert A. List Fund, Philip Morris Incorporated, Sandra Payson, Mr. and Mrs. Albrecht Saalfield, Mrs. Percy Uris, Warner Communications Inc., and the National Endowment for the Arts 75.22. © 2015 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Digital Image © Whitney Museum
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Effingham II, 1966. Acrylic on canvas. 127 1/2 × 132 × 4 in. (323.9 × 335.3 × 10.2 cm). The Glass House, A Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Marrakech, 1964. Fluorescent alkyd on canvas. 77 × 77 × 2 7/8 in. (195.6 × 195.6 × 7.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Scull, 1971 (1971.5). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Grajau I, 1975. Paint and laquer on aluminum. 82 × 132 in. (208.3 × 335.3 cm). The Glass House, A Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Harran II, 1967. Polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on canvas. 120 × 240 in. (304.8 × 609.6 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; gift, Mr. Irving Blum, 1982 © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Eskimo Curlew, 1976. Litho crayon, etching, lacquer, ink, glass, acrylic paint, and oilstick on aluminum. 8 ft. 2.75 in x 10 ft. 7 in. (2.5 × 3.2 m). Portland Art Museum, Portland, Ore.; museum purchase: funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Howard Vollum. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Moultonville II, 1966. Fluorescent alkyd and epoxy paint on canvas, 124 × 86 × 4 in. (315 × 218.4 × 10.2 cm). Audrey and David Mirvish. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Michael Cullen
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Raft of the Medusa (Part I), 1990. Aluminum and steel. 167 × 163 × 159 in. (424.2 × 414 × 403.9 cm). The Glass House, A Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Plant City, 1963. Zinc chromate on canvas. 8 ft. 6.5 in x 8 ft. 6.5 in (2.6 × 2.6 m). Philadelphia Museum of Art; gift of Agnes Gund in memory of Anne of Harnoncourt, 2008. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Chocorua IV, 1966. Fluorescent alkyd and epoxy paint on canvas, 120 × 128 × 4 in. (304.8 × 325.1 × 10.2 cm). Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; purchased through the Miriam and Sidney Stoneman Acquisition Fund, a gift from Judson and Carol Bemis, Class of 1976, and gifts from the Lathrop Fellows, in honor of Brian P. Kennedy, Director of the Hood Museum of Art, 2005–2010. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Frank Stella (b. 1936) , Gobba, zoppa e collotorto, 1985. Oil, urethane enamel, fluorescent alkyd, acrylic, and printing ink on etched magnesium and aluminum. 137 × 120 1/8 × 34 3/8 in. (348 × 305 × 87.5 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago; Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Logan Purchase Prize Fund; Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment 1986.93. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Frank Stella (b.1936), The Whiteness of the Whale (IRS-1, 2X), 1987. Paint on aluminum, 149 × 121 3/4 × 45 1/4 in. (375.5 × 309.2 × 114.9 cm). Private collection. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b.1936), Jasper’s Dilemma, 1962. Alkyd on canvas, 77 × 154 in. (195.6 × 391.2 cm). Collection of Irma and Norman Braman, Miami Beach. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frank Stella (b. 1936), K.144, 2013. ABS RPT with stainless steel, 80 × 97 × 53 in. (203.2 × 246.4 × 134.6 cm). Collection Martin Z. Margulies. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Events
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Member Preview Days for Frank Stella: A Retrospective
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
12–5 pm -
VIP Opening Reception for Frank Stella: A Retrospective
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
7:30–11 pm -
Priority Entry to Opening Reception for Frank Stella:
A RetrospectiveThursday, October 29, 2015
7:30–8 pm -
Opening Reception for Frank Stella: A Retrospective
Thursday, October 29, 2015
8–11 pm
Whitney Stories
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Frank Stella's Paintings Inspire a Giant Marble Run
Read moreFor November’s Frank Stella Family Day, artist McKendree Key created a giant marble run in collaboration with New York City teachers, students, and families.
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How to Install a Two-Ton Star
Read moreWatch an enormous star by Frank Stella being assembled on the fifth-floor terrace, and learn about the process from head preparator Joshua Rosenblatt.
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What is Your White Whale?
Read moreAt a marathon reading of Moby-Dick that took place among paintings from Frank Stella’s Moby-Dick series, writers and artists described the pursuits that elude them.
Audio guides
Frank Stella (b. 1936), Harran II, 1967. Polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on canvas. 120 × 240 in. (304.8 × 609.6 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; gift, Mr. Irving Blum, 1982. © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Listen to an audio guide highlighting selected works in Frank Stella: A Retrospective with narration by students from PS 33 Chelsea Prep and Whitney Museum educator Mark Joshua Epstein.
Installation Photography
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Installation view of Frank Stella: A Retrospective (October 30, 2015—February 7, 2016). © 2015 Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ronald Amstutz
Exhibition Catalogue
This landmark catalogue presents a retrospective study of Frank Stella, one of the most important figures in 20th-century American art. Showcasing works from all of his major series, the book surveys the full sweep of Stella’s career, from his artistic beginnings in high school and college to today.
An essay by Michael Auping titled “The Phenomenology of Frank: ‘Materiality and Gesture Make Space’” is available to read below. The catalogue also includes essays by Jordan Kantor and Adam D. Weinberg, and an interview with Frank Stella by Laura Owens.
Read an excerpt from the catalogue
Buy now
Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection
View 14 works
In the News
“Frank Stella is back. His grand, high-spirited, slightly overstuffed retrospective has taken over the fifth and largest exhibition floor of the new Whitney Museum of American Art, where it looks great. ”
—The New York Times
"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Abstraction: Frank Stella Stuns at the Whitney"
—Artnews
"Frank Stella at the Whitney—from Impassive Abstraction to Riotous Baroque"
—The Guardian
"The Wide, Wacky World of Frank Stella's Titles"
—The Wall Street Journal
"Interstellar: Whitney Musuem toasts Frank Stella with a Retrospective"
—Wallpaper
"Frank Stella looks back on fifty-five years of making art"
—Time Out New York
"Mr. Stella has done more than any other living artist to carry abstract art, the house style of modernism, into the postmodern era."
—The New York Times
"Towards a Unified Theory of Frank Stella"
—New York Magazine
"American Master: Frank Stella"
—Departures Magazine
"No artist of his generation has been remotely as productive and creative as Frank Stella."
—Artforum
"One of the most important living U.S. artists"
—The Wall Street Journal
"Frank Stella Gets Candid About His Long Career"
—Artinfo
"A champion of pure abstraction...[Frank Stella] is a survivor from a bygone era when artists conceived their mission as a heroic and hermetic pursuit."
—The Economist