Helen Frankenthaler’s “no rules” painting on show in Florence
Racconti da MArte
In recent years, cultural institutions have sought to bridge the gap that still affects female representation in the art world.
At Palazzo Strozzi, we have devoted particular attention to artists such as Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman and Louise Nevelson, who have used their talents to challenge norms and break new ground in contemporary art, raising crucial questions about the representation and role of women in society. Prominent figures such as Paola Pivi, Marinella Senatore, Goshka Macuga and Vanessa Beecroft, have enlivened the courtyard with their works, and exhibitions have highlighted works by internationally renowned women artists such as Kara Walker, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Shirin Neshat, Rosemarie Trockel and Katharina Fritsch.
But, above all, the monographs we have devoted to Marina Abramović and Natalia Goncharova have proved outstanding by their impact and success.
Another theme that we cherish is American art, given our close relationship with the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation USA in New York. Hence Peggy Guggenheim, who in 1949 inaugurated the Strozzina as an exhibition space with her revolutionary art collection, was the subject of our tribute with the overview La grande arte dei Guggenheim (2016). Together with Americani a Firenze (2012) and American Art 1961-2001 (2021), this composed the trilogy we devoted to fundamental periods of American history, without limiting our vision to art. We also organized important exhibitions of Bill Viola and Jeff Koons, American artists with close ties to Italy.
It is now the turn of Helen Frankenthaler, one of the twentieth century’s most important artists, whose revolutionary research in painting is explored through a selection of thirty canvases, works on paper, and sculptures created between 1953 and 2002, presented in dialogue with works by her contemporaries.
The major exhibition Helen Frankenthaler: Painting Without Rules is unprecedented in Italy.
And with loans from famous museums and international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the ASOM Collection and the Levett Collection, among others, as well as those in the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, it will enable the public to discover an artist who, with her innovative and unconventional approach, distinguished herself as a pioneering figure in the field of abstract painting, expanding its potential in ways that continue to inspire new generations.
The exhibition is curated by Douglas Dreishpoon, Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné, whom I wish to thank together with the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the Board President Lise Motherwell, the Executive Director Elizabeth Smith, and the whole team. It seeks to enhance the innovative practice of this artist also through the filter of the affinities, influences and friendships that left their mark on her personal and artistic life.
The exhibition assigns for the first time a significant role to Frankenthaler’s private collection, which includes works by artists who became her friends, and which she displayed in her Manhattan home. Some of these works are now featured at Palazzo Strozzi.
An original feature is our wish to immerse the public in Frankenthaler’s life and artistic practice through archival documents, photographs and correspondence, so bringing to life that fascinating world, enchanting by its glamour and extraordinary in its elegance.
Arturo Galansino
The text is taken from the catalogue of the exhibition Helen Frankenthaler. Painting without rules, Marsilio Arte, Venice 2024.
But, above all, the monographs we have devoted to Marina Abramović and Natalia Goncharova have proved outstanding by their impact and success.
Another theme that we cherish is American art, given our close relationship with the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation USA in New York. Hence Peggy Guggenheim, who in 1949 inaugurated the Strozzina as an exhibition space with her revolutionary art collection, was the subject of our tribute with the overview La grande arte dei Guggenheim (2016). Together with Americani a Firenze (2012) and American Art 1961-2001 (2021), this composed the trilogy we devoted to fundamental periods of American history, without limiting our vision to art. We also organized important exhibitions of Bill Viola and Jeff Koons, American artists with close ties to Italy.
It is now the turn of Helen Frankenthaler, one of the twentieth century’s most important artists, whose revolutionary research in painting is explored through a selection of thirty canvases, works on paper, and sculptures created between 1953 and 2002, presented in dialogue with works by her contemporaries.
The major exhibition Helen Frankenthaler: Painting Without Rules is unprecedented in Italy.
And with loans from famous museums and international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the ASOM Collection and the Levett Collection, among others, as well as those in the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, it will enable the public to discover an artist who, with her innovative and unconventional approach, distinguished herself as a pioneering figure in the field of abstract painting, expanding its potential in ways that continue to inspire new generations.
The exhibition is curated by Douglas Dreishpoon, Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné, whom I wish to thank together with the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the Board President Lise Motherwell, the Executive Director Elizabeth Smith, and the whole team. It seeks to enhance the innovative practice of this artist also through the filter of the affinities, influences and friendships that left their mark on her personal and artistic life.
The exhibition assigns for the first time a significant role to Frankenthaler’s private collection, which includes works by artists who became her friends, and which she displayed in her Manhattan home. Some of these works are now featured at Palazzo Strozzi.
An original feature is our wish to immerse the public in Frankenthaler’s life and artistic practice through archival documents, photographs and correspondence, so bringing to life that fascinating world, enchanting by its glamour and extraordinary in its elegance.
Arturo Galansino
The text is taken from the catalogue of the exhibition Helen Frankenthaler. Painting without rules, Marsilio Arte, Venice 2024.
