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Colorful abstract painting with irregularly shaped bands of olive green and muted purple which cover an orange background with a soft red circle in the top left

Pistachio

Helen Frankenthaler

Artist
Helen Frankenthaler
(American, 1928 - 2011)
Title
Pistachio
Date
1971
Medium
Acrylic on unsized canvas
Dimensions
109 x 79 3/4 in. Overall
Credit
Humanistic Foundation Fund and Thomas E. Brittingham Fund purchase
Accession No.
71.32
Classification
Paintings
Geography
United States

Related

Helen Frankenthaler estate; 1 January 1971, sold by André Emmerich Gallery, Inc. (New York, NY) to the Elvehjem Art Center [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Handbook of the Collection." Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, 1990. no. 137
  • Baker, D. Frederick, "A University Collects: The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin," in Antiques & Fine Art Magazine (Autumn/Winter 2013) vol. XII, issue 6 :184-193. p. 192, no. 13
  • Garver, Thomas H. "The Art Collection of Pleasant and Company." Middleton, WI: Pleasant Company, 1993 p. 6
  • Alloway, Lawrence. "Frankenthaler as Pastoral." Art News (Nov. 1971): 67-68. p. 68
  • Nemser, Cindy. "Interview with Helen Frankenthaler." Arts Magazine (Nov. 1971): 51-55. p. 55
  • Champa, Kermit S. "New Work of Helen Frankenthaler." Artforum (Jan. 1972): 55-59. p. 58
  • Elderfield, John. "Frankenthaler." New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1989. pp. 224, 226
  • André Emmerich Gallery, Inc. "Helen Frankenthaler." exh. cat. New York: André Emmerich Gallery, Inc., 1971.
  • Corcoran Gallery of Art. "Helen Frankenthaler Paintings: 1969-1974." exh. cat. Washington, D.C.: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1975. no. 9
  • Herzog, Melanie. "Looking/Learning." School Arts, Vol. 90, No. 1 (Sept. 1990): 31-34 pp. 32-33
  • Elderfield, John. "Frankenthaler" [Revised and Expanded Edition]. Gagosian, 2024. pp. 261-263, fig. 6

  • Helen Frankenthaler: Paintings 1969-1974: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 4/20/1975–11/23/1975
  • Recent Acquisitions: Elvehjem Art Center, 6/16/1972–8/20/1972
  • Helen Frankenthaler: André Emmerich Gallery, Inc., 11/6/1971–12/1/1971

In this large abstract painting of semi-transparent fields of color, a soft red circle in the top left blends into a background of warm tones of golden-yellow and orange. Layered on top of this background are two irregularly shaped swaths of color which extend diagonally from the top left to the bottom right. Each swath of color, one olive green and one muted purple, varies in saturation and opacity. The soft red circle from the background appears to glow through a gap between the green and purple shapes.

The Chazen Museum of Art welcomes comments or inquiries about works in our collection. Please allow two–three weeks for a response. Chazen staff is not able to provide valuations or authentications and such inquiries cannot be answered.

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