Helen Frankenthaler

1928-2011 · American · Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting

Auction record: $7.9M

Royal Fireworks, 1975 · Sotheby's, New York · Jun 29, 2020

Biography

Helen Frankenthaler, born in New York, invented the soak-stain technique in 1952 with Mountains and Sea, pouring thinned oil paint onto unprimed canvas so that colour became one with the fabric. The method, seen by Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland in her studio, launched Colour Field painting. Over six decades she produced lyrical, luminous abstractions in oil and later acrylic, as well as an important body of woodcuts and prints. Her market has risen steadily since her death, helped by the active Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and major museum shows. The auction record, Royal Fireworks at 7.9 million dollars in 2020, is modest next to her male peers, which many observers see as room for growth.

Market

Liquidity: Medium

Museums

National Gallery of Art, Washington
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

Sources

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