1977

Acrylic and collage on paper

24 1/2 x 39 1/4 inches (62.2 by 99.7 cm.)

Signed and dated ”77′

Ex-collection

Collection of the Artist
Knoedler Gallery, London
Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Washington, D.C.
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner until 2017

Exhibitions

New York, Andre Emmerich Gallery, ‘Helen Frankenthaler’ May – June 1979
Michigan, Saginaw Art Museum; Ann Arbor, University of Michigan; Grand Rapids Art Museum, ‘Helen Frankenthaler: The Artist in 3 Media,’ February – July 1980, cat no. 27, pp. 15

Note
 The present painting is one of series of acrylic works on paper titled ‘Orient Express’ painted by the acclaimed Abstract Expressionist Helen Frankenthaler in the 1970s. In the series, Frankenthaler experimented with painting in a small-scale, horizontal format, creating compsitions reminiscent of a speeding train, as the title might suggest. Frankenthaler considered her works on paper to not only function as studies for larger paintings, but also as important compositions in their own right.

“Working on paper can even replace working on canvas for me, for periods of time. That was never true before. More and more, paper is painting.” Helen Frankenthaler quoted in Karen Wilkin, ‘Frankenthaler: Works on Paper 1949-1984,’ New York, 1984, p.93