Frank Stella

On Stella’s formal and conceptual shifts from Minimalism to arabesque

The American painter, sculptor and printmaker Frank Stella (born 1936) is famed for his use of brightly colored geometric shapes and patterns. Throughout his long career, questions concerning abstraction and representation, sign and ornament, surface and space, have guided his explorative practice. Initially producing highly minimalist abstractions, Stella has built upon his austere foundations, introducing intricate patterns, fluid shapes and cutouts.
This publication examines four phases in Stella’s work, contextualized by the Museum Wiesbaden’s collection: the early works; Minimalist stripe paintings; the departure into three-dimensionality; and the use of ornament and arabesque. By structuring his oeuvre in this way, the book invites readers to trace the continuities and points of departure between his early and late work. Texts by curator Jörg Daur, art advisor Bernard Ceysson and writers Andreas Henning and Lea Schäfer help to illuminate Stella’s formal evolution.