
Helen FrankenthalerAmerican, 1928–2011May one see it?
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
This is Frankenthaler’s first print at Universal Limited Art Editions (U.L.A.E.) and demonstrates her playful experimentation with tusche wash and crayon to capture her painterly gesture. She manipulated the tusche with various implements, including facial tissues, a stick, and her finger.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
1959
First Prize at the Paris Biennial
She receives First Prize for Painting at the first Paris Biennial.
11 July 1959 – 11 October 1959
Exhibition: Documenta II
1960
First museum retrospective at the Jewish Museum
A retrospective of her work of the 1950s at the Jewish Museum is her first major museum show; the catalogue is written by the critic and poet Frank O’Hara, a curator at the Museum of Modern Art.
1960
Her work is described as “colour field painting”
In 1960 the term “colour field painting” is used to describe Frankenthaler’s work: large areas of colour on the canvas, hues similar in tone or intensity, large formats and simplified compositions.
1963
A switch to acrylic paints
From 1963 she uses acrylic paints rather than oils, because they allow for both opacity and sharpness on the canvas.