Spanning more than sixty years, Frank Stella’s studio practice has pushed abstraction to the limits, investigating every category from painting and printmaking to sculpture and public art. Among the myriad of forms found in Stella’s work, one element continuously reappears, a motif that is simultaneously abstract and figurative: the star. Immediately identifiable, the star stands out amidst the tangle of invented abstractions the artist has explored over his long career. Under the spotlight for the first time, this exhibition surveys Stella’s use of the star through twenty-five works that orbit the Museum, ranging from two-dimensional works of the 1960s to its most recent incarnation in sculptures, wall reliefs, and painted objects from the 2010s.
Frank Stella’s Stars, A Survey is on view at The Aldrich September 21, 2020 to May 9, 2021.