In conjunction with the major exhibition Helen Frankenthaler: Painting Without Rules, Palazzo Strozzi is hosting a special panel discussion to explore Frankenthaler’s life and work, her friendships with kindred artists, and her reception in Europe—both past and present.
Moderated by Douglas Dreishpoon, Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné and curator of the exhibition, the panel brings together distinguished scholars, curators, and writers from Europe and the U.S., each with a deep understanding of Frankenthaler’s impact on modern and contemporary art. The discussion delves into the artistic connections and creative influences that shaped Frankenthaler’s practice over her six-decade-long career.
Event in English.
Free admission subject to availability. Reservation recommended.
The event will be video-recorded and made available later on Palazzo Strozzi’s YouTube channel.
Friendships, affinities and connections
This panel is an excellent opportunity to hear from leading voices in the art world and gain deeper insights into the life, work, and legacy of Helen Frankenthaler.
Participants include Michael Brenson, a prominent writer, lecturer, art historian, and former New York Times art critic, who offers a rich understanding of the intersections between Frankenthaler’s work and that of her contemporaries. Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women, brings valuable context to Frankenthaler’s achievements, focusing on the pivotal role women artists played in the development of modern art. Finally, Daniel Zamani, Artistic Director of the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany, and curator of The Shape of Freedom: International Abstraction after 1945, will contribute his expertise in postwar abstraction, enriching the discussion of Frankenthaler’s place within the broader narrative of 20th-century art.
Panelists
Douglas Dreishpoon (Moderator)
Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné and curator of Helen Frankenthaler: Painting Without Rules.
Michael Brenson
Writer, lecturer, art historian, and former art critic for The New York Times.
Mary Gabriel
Acclaimed author of Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art.
Daniel Zamani
Artistic Director of the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany, and curator of The Shape of Freedom: International Abstraction after 1945.
Cover: Helen Frankenthaler and David Smith in Frankenthaler’s West End Avenue apartment with “Mountains and Sea” (1952) behind them, circa January 1957 (det.). Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Archives, New York. Photograph by Burt Glinn © Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos.
