Frank Stella in 3-D at 83

The Colors of the Sixties

 A recent exhibit at the Whitney Museum focused on the exuberant colors that pivotal artists used during the psychedelic 1960s. Included in the show was Frank Stella's Gran Cairo, part of the Whitney's permanent collection, one of the first paintings that Stella did after the Black Series that brought him instant acclaim in the art world when he was barely twenty-five. The exhibit, called Spilling Over: Painting Color in the 1960s magnified the varied styles and focus of the mid-century artists.

 

It was a time when acrylic paint was introduced, allowing artists to paint with bolder, faster drying colors, something that Stella embraced and expanded on during his career. Stella also embraced fine printmaking, using offset lithography and screenprint that gave him colors and textures which could only be achieved by a master printer.

 

Working with master printmaker Kenneth Tyler gave Stella the tools and inspiration he needed to create series of prints and book illustrations. He used various medium, including woodblocks, to produce his unique prints.

 

The show of his work, at the NSU Museum in Fort Lauderdale last year, Frank Stella: Experiment and Change, was one of the best attended museum exhibits. Museum director, Bonnie Clearwater, said, "One of the things we discovered … is that visitors came back multiple times to see the exhibitions. Many even proudly informed me they saw the Frank Stella five or six times."

 

Even with the best technology, viewing a print online and viewing a print up close and in person are very different experiences. The rich textures and colors that an expert like Frank Stella can achieve, makes viewing a fine art print especially satisfying. When Kenneth Tyler retired in 2000, Frank Stella also retired from printmaking and began to focus on sculpture.

 

Frank Stella in 3-D

Stella, at age 83, still maintains his studio in his Greenwich Village home, but also works in a studio in upstate New York, where he's built a foundry large enough to contain his massive 3-D sculptures. He uses 3-D printers and multiple medium, like fiberglass, aluminum, plastic and steel. The sculptures, some 20-feet high, can be seen at the Boesky Gallery in Chelsea.

 

Frank Stella's Fine Art Prints at Surovek Gallery

Please contact us if you would like more information about the work of Frank Stella available at  Surovek Gallery.

 

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August 27, 2019