NORTH MIAMI, FLORIDA.- The Museum of Contemporary Art presents "Frankenthaler: Paintings on Paper (1949 – 2002)," on view through June 8. This major exhibition examines Helen Frankenthaler’s outstanding production of painting on paper throughout her career from 1949 to the present. Although Frankenthaler has always painted on paper as well as canvas, she has worked almost exclusively on paper for the last 10 years. Many of these works are large-scale, measuring seven by six feet
Frankenthaler achieved recognition in her early twenties with her monumental painting Mountains and Sea, 1952. By applying greatly diluted paint to the surface of unprimed canvas, Frankenthaler originated the staining technique that was hailed as an important link between the poured paintings of Jackson Pollock and the Color Field paintings of Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. Her stain paintings propelled abstraction toward the Modernists’ ideal in which color and flat canvas create a unified field.
Frankenthaler, however, never considered herself a Color Field painter. She used the stain technique as only one of many to apply paint. Her paintings on paper especially demonstrate that staining was not her ultimate goal. Rather than exploit the absorbency of paper by applying thinned pigment to the surface, Frankenthaler often used opaque acrylic and mixed media to create layered, atmospheric compositions.
By concentrating on her rich body of painting on paper, this exhibition will redirect the conventional art historical emphasis on Frankenthaler’s stain technique to her career long fascination with creating paintings that are arenas of convincing, thrilling space occupied by infinitely energetic and graceful forms.
Following its presentation at MOCA, Frankenthaler: Paintings on Paper (1949 – 2002) will be on view at Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy from August 13 to October 26, 2003, as one of the inaugural exhibitions in the Royal Scottish Academy’s new wing. The exhibition is organized by MOCA and is curated by Bonnie Clearwater. It is accompanied by a full-color, 112-page catalog
Frankenthaler: Paintings on Paper (1949 – 2002) is made possible through the generous support of The Citigroup Private Bank. Additional support provided by: Gillette; Funding Arts Network; Audrey and Mrs. David Mirvish; Paula and Joel Friedland; The Braman Family Foundation; and Nancy and Michael Gifford. Accommodations provided by Sonesta Key Biscayne.