Helen Frankenthaler

One of the great American artists of the twentieth century, Helen Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928. She is known for her invention of the soak-stain technique. Raised in New York City, she attended the Dalton School and was taught by Rufino Tamayo. She graduated from Bennington College, Vermont in 1949, where she studied under Paul Feely. In 1950 she began experimenting in the technique that would become her stain paintings, where thin washes of pigment soak the canvas forming large scale abstractions. Her first solo exhibition was in 1951 at Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York. In 1959, she became a regular presence in major international exhibitions. She attracted the attention of influential art critic Clement Greenberg which led to her first major museum exhibition at the Jewish Museum in 1960. She represented the United States in the Venice Biennale in 1966. In addition to painting, Frankenthaler was prolific in her print-making practice and is renowned for her woodcuts. She had numerous solo exhibitions and received many prestigious awards throughout her lifetime. She died on December 27, 2011, in Darien, Connecticut. Her work is held in many prominent institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

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