In Dialogue: Helen Frankenthaler’s Abstraction

Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, joins Natalie Dupêcher, Assistant Curator of Modern Art, for a conversation about Helen Frankenthaler’s pivotal role in post-war American art. They will consider how the artist pioneered a highly original form of abstraction by looking at a selection of her works, including the monumental painting "Hybrid Vigor," 1973, which is currently on view in the Menil Collection. On loan from a private collection, it is the first time this work is presented at a museum since it was acquired in the 1970s.

Helen Frankenthaler (1928 – 2011) had a distinguished and prolific career that spanned six decades. A highly influential figure in the Abstract Expressionism and Color Field Painting movements, she is known for her invention of the “soak-stain” technique, which expanded the possibilities of abstract painting. Her work has been the subject of numerous solo museum exhibitions, as well as three major monographs: "Frankenthaler," by Barbara Rose (1972); "Frankenthaler," by John Elderfield (1989); and "Frankenthaler: A Catalogue Raisonné, Prints 1961–1994," by Suzanne Boorsch and Pegram Harrison (1996)

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In Dialogue is the Menil Collection’s series of live, online conversations. Menil curators are joined by notable scholars, artists, and art professionals for engaging discussions about the museum’s collection, current exhibitions, and ideas shaping contemporary discourses about art. All programs are free and open to everyone.

Video: Zainob+Mathew Create
Production: BEND Productions
Photos: All artworks by Helen Frankenthaler © 2020 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Visit menil.org/events to learn more about upcoming programs.

Public Program of The Menil Collection, Houston, TX. October 6, 2020.