Helen Frankenthaler Painting Without Rules

Palazzo Strozzi presents the most extensive retrospective ever held in Italy dedicated to one of the most revolutionary artists of the twentieth century. The exhibition provides an in-depth overview of Helen Frankenthaler’s work, placing her pieces in dialogue with those of contemporary artists such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, Morris Louis, David Smith, Anthony Caro, and Anne Truitt.

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through large canvases, works on paper, and sculptures, creating a path that highlights the artist’s extraordinary originality. The exhibition includes loans from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and from renowned international museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Organized by the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in collaboration with the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and curated by Douglas Dreishpoon, Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné, the exhibition is arranged chronologically, spanning from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Frankenthaler’s innovations are showcased alongside paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by her contemporaries, highlighting the synergies and affinities among these key figures of twentieth-century art.

The New Freedom of Color: Helen Frankenthaler in Dialogue with Pollock, Rothko, and Motherwell

Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) played a pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting, challenging conventions and expanding the boundaries of art in pursuit of a new freedom of expression. Renowned for her innovative soak-stain technique, Frankenthaler applied diluted paint to unprepared canvases, creating effects similar to watercolor but on a grand scale. This approach allowed her to explore new relationships between color, space, and form, expanding the possibilities of abstract painting in a way that continues to inspire new generations of artists.

In a world bound by rules, Helen Frankenthaler broke away from traditional art conventions, creating an artistic universe characterized by poetic abstraction, refined technique, and boundless imagination. Her ability to combine control and improvisation paved new paths in painting, contributing a revolutionary approach that still inspires the artistic scene today.

Helen Frankenthaler: Painting Without Rules is co-organized by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, New York. Public supporters include the Comune di Firenze, Regione Toscana, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, and the Camera di Commercio di Firenze. Private supporters are Fondazione CR Firenze, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati, and the Palazzo Strozzi Partners Committee. Special thanks to Maria Manetti Shrem and Gagosian.

The exhibition is also part of the Equinozio d’autunno 2024 project, a calendar of contemporary art events in Tuscany from 22 September to 6 October 2024, coordinated by the Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci.

Cover: Helen Frankenthaler, Open Wall (det.), 1953 © 2023 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome