FRANK STELLA "SUNAPEE" SCREENPRINT, 1974

Frank Stella (1936-2024) is one of our favorite 20th-century artists. He helped topple Abstract Expressionism, ushering in a new style and approach to art-making. His aesthetic encouraged Minimalism, Hard-edge abstraction, Op Art, and even Conceptual art. Stella created the "Eccentric Polygons" series in 1974. It is one of his last body of prints before he transitionned to the exuberant, Baroque-busy, elaborate style that defines his aesthetic to this day. Not surprisingly, these images were prominently featured in a 2016 retrospective at the Whitney Museum in New York City. The "Polygon" paintings were created during 1965-1967, each form was created in four different color combinations. Their curious names, this example is called "Sunapee", come from small towns and locations in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where Stella and his father would go fishing during his youth. Aesthetically, there is a subtle but significant difference between the canvases and the prints. Like many of Stella's multiples, there is a trompe-oeil effect; the sections of color appear to have been sketched in with a crayon yet bound in with a sharp outline. The canvases, on the other hand, had dense flat colors. Stella would intentionally use cheap tape on the paintings when sectioning the works so the color would bleed between the forms. Impressions of this print are held in the permanent collections of the Whitney, New York; and the National Gallery, Washington, DC. Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto Gallery. "Sunapee" From Eccentric Polygons series USA, 1974 Color lithograph and screenprint on Arches wove paper Signed, numbered "43/100" and dated in pencil, lower right From an edition of 100 Published by Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, with their blindstamp Printed by Jeff Wasserman and Serge Lozingot 22.5"H 17.25"W (work) 30"H 25"W (framed) Very good condition Literature: - 1966: Gemini G.E.L. Sequence List. Los Angeles, California: Gemini G.E.L., unpublished, no. 546. - 1983: Axsom, Richard H. The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1967-1982. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1983, no. 100. - 2011: Ritchie, Charles. Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2011, no. 51.8. http://www.nga.gov/gemini Catalogue Raisonné: - Axsom 1983, no. 100; - Ritchie 2011, no. 51.8