Frank Stella

Frank Stella is an American painter and printmaker most recognized for his Minimalist, abstract works. Born in Massachusetts in 1936, Stella went on to study history at Princeton University and later moving to New York City, where he was increasingly influenced by the work of Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline – and later by the flatter surfaces of Barnett Newman. His notorious striped canvases were first explored in the Black Paintings of the late 1950s, which were included in the show 16 Americans at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1959. From there, Stella continued his explorations into geometric abstraction and began to introduce colour into his work. Stella's printmaking developed alongside his painting and often explored similar themes. In the 1980s and 1990s, Stella moved towards increasingly sculptural painting and constructions; the 1990s saw his involvement in a number of public art and architecture projects. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is included in the collections of major art institutions including the MoMA and Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York; the Kunstmuseum Basel; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; and Tate Modern in London.

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