Helen Frankenthaler: The Joy of Color

“There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about.” —Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) was a pivotal figure in postwar American art as she adopted the principles of gestural abstraction and pioneered the techniques of “stain” painting, influencing a generation of Color Field painters that included Morris Louis (1912–1962) and Kenneth Noland (1924–2010). Her unique contribution was a “soak-stain” technique: She laid unprimed canvas on the floor, poured thinned paint directly onto the surface, and allowed pools of color to linger and flow.

This special installation features Frankenthaler’s continued innovation, as she embraced an expanded vocabulary of painterly effects through the use of complementary colors. The display showcases five resplendent paintings that feature similar arrays of rose tones, saturated fuchsias, and luminous mauves, resulting in fascinatingly varied surfaces. On view are loans from the Sarofim Foundation Collection as well as a recent landmark bequest: Venetian Story.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website