Frank Stella

American, 1936–2024

American painter, printmaker and sculptor, Stella was born in 1936 in Malden, Massachusetts. He moved to New York City after graduating from Princeton University in 1958. Arguably one of the most important living American artists, he is best known for his use of geometric patterns and shapes. Stella painted with the intent to flatten surfaces and often chose shaped canvases, exploring minimalism in his earlier works, then shifted to compositions that are exuberant both in color and form, joining together painting and sculpture. In 1970 he received a retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, the youngest artist to ever receive such an honor. Stella’s work has been exhibited at museums and galleries including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art, both in New York City; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; and the Wetterling Gallery in Stockholm. He has received honorary degrees from Princeton University, Dartmouth College and Brandeis University, and has been recognized with many prestigious awards, including a Medal in Painting from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Photo by Mary Hilliard