Astoria

1950s

Princeton: Greene and Seitz take him to New York's galleries

Entering Princeton University, where he majors in history, Stella takes art courses; the painter Stephen Greene and the art historian William C. Seitz, professors at the school, introduce him to the New York art scene and take him to exhibitions in the city.

1958

Moves to New York after Princeton

After graduating from the university, where he majored in history and met Darby Bannard and Michael Fried, Stella moves to New York. He is drawn to the flat surfaces of Barnett Newman and Jasper Johns's “target” paintings, and turns against the expressive handling of paint by most Abstract Expressionists.

1959

“Three Young Americans” at Oberlin

Several of his paintings are included in the exhibition Three Young Americans at the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College.

1959–1960

“Sixteen Americans” at MoMA

Four of his black pinstripe paintings are shown at the Museum of Modern Art in the exhibition Sixteen Americans, alongside works by Louise Nevelson, Ellsworth Kelly, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. Many critics were outraged, but today the works are considered seminal in 20th-century American art.

1960

First show at Leo Castelli's gallery

His first show at the New York gallery of the dealer Leo Castelli brings few sales. Stella shares studio space with Hollis Frampton and Carl Andre, who also attended Phillips Academy, and scrounges a living by renting cold-water flats and painting houses.

1960s

Travels in the Middle East

He visits circular-plan cities in the Middle East and is especially intrigued by the arches and decorative patterns he sees in the architecture and art of Iran; these cities will later give their names to works of the Protractor series.