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Frank Stella

(American, 1936–2024)

The Fossil Whale (Dome)

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Object Details

Artist

Frank Stella

Date

1992

Medium

Color etching, aquatint, relief, and engraving on TGL handmade paper Edition 11/20

Dimensions

Image: 73 1/2 × 53 inches (186.7 × 134.6 cm)
Frame: 76 1/2 × 56 × 9 inches (194.3 × 142.2 × 22.9 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired through the Friends of the Museum Purchase Fund

Object
Number

92.041

A prolific printmaker and painter, Frank Stella has explored a wide range of imagery and techniques,(…)

A prolific printmaker and painter, Frank Stella has explored a wide range of imagery and techniques, from the spare elegance of the early minimal works of the late 1950s to the energy of the recent wall pieces. Stella’s interest in printmaking stems from the lithography revival of the early sixties, under the auspices of two workshops, June Wayne’s Tamarind Workshop in Los Angeles (now in Albuquerque, New Mexico) and Tatyana Grosman’s Universal Limited Art Editions on Long Island. Both workshops emphasized the collaborative process between artist and master printer; today Stella works closely with Ken Tyler of Tyler Graphics in Mount Kisco, New York. One of Stella’s most ambitious prints to date is The Fossil Whale (Dome), excecuted at Tyler Graphics and derived from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. His use of several techniques, vibrant colors, and shaping of the paper, bulging out from the wall, expands on his earlier experimentation. (From “A Handbook of the Collection: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art,” 1998)

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