Prolific and pioneering painter Helen Frankenthaler said it was “a combination of impatience, laziness and innovation” that drove her to thin her paints with turpentine so that they would seep into the fabric of an unprimed canvas. Her breakthrough in the early 1950s led the way for a spellbinding new style of painting that would come to be known as Color Field.
Although Color Field is often considered a strain of Abstract Expressionism, Frankenthaler’s work differed from the gestural “Action Painting” that typified the paintings of artists like Willem de Kooning and Lee Krasner. Her vast and immersive expanses of color created at a fearless scale captivated art critics and greatly influenced her peers including Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland.
Frankenthaler knew from an early age that she wanted to be a painter. The youngest daughter of a New York State Supreme Court justice, she grew up on Manhattan’s Park Avenue and as a child delighted in the little ways color and form revealed themselves, whether dribbling red nail polish in a sink full of water or drawing her steps from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to her family’s apartment. As a student at Bennington College, her rare vision was enriched by the mentorship of painter Paul Feeley, who gave her lessons in Cubism. After dabbling in art history at Columbia University, she rented a studio downtown and befriended rising New York art stars like Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell, whom she later married.
Characterized by “direct, exuberant gestures,” the Abstract Expressionist technique was all about gusto, and Frankenthaler had it in spades. One of the few women of this era to garner widespread critical acclaim, Frankenthaler had a significant impact on the mid-20th-century art world. She exhibited in the high-profile 1951 Ninth Street Show and, in 1957, she appeared in a Life magazine spread on women artists photographed by Gordon Parks. In 1960, the Jewish Museum held her first major museum show, a retrospective of her 1950s work. A 1969 solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art further introduced Frankenthaler to the broader art world.
While Frankenthaler remains best known for bold, expressive “soak-stain” paintings such as Mountains and Sea (1952), she worked across diverse media for decades, with forays into woodcutting, drawing and printmaking that also pushed boundaries. She also taught at Harvard, Yale and Princeton, fostering generations of artists. She died in 2011.
Find original Helen Frankenthaler art on 1stDibs.
Ramblas
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Created by the artist in 1987-88, Ramblas is an original lithograph, drypoint, and etching in colors on Rives BFK paper. Hand-signed, dated, and numbered from the edition of 75 in pe...
Drypoint, Etching, Lithograph
Yellow Jack
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) is one of the most revered abstract painters of the 20th century, and one of the most successful and collected female artists of all time. She was a ...
Lithograph, Stencil
Spring Run XVI
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Vivid color monotype by American Abstract Expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler, signed by the artist in pencil, lower right. Printed and published in collaboration with Tyler Graphics...
Monotype
Soho Dreams
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in London, GB
Etching, aquatint and drypoint in colours, 1987, on Magnani paper, signed and dated in pencil, numbered from the edition of 71 (there were also 8 artist’s proofs), published by 2RC E...
Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint
Flotilla
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in London, GB
Screenprint in colors, 2006, on Rives BFK paper, signed and dated in pencil, numbered from the edition of 120, published by the Naples Art Museum, Florida, 78.7 x 93.7 cm. (31 x 37 i...
Screen
Helen Frankenthaler - Milwaukee Art Museum invitation card, Hand Signed, Framed
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Offset lithograph invitation card - 2 sided Hand signed by Helen Frankenthaler in ink on the verso A collectors' item when hand signed by the artist Published by the Milwaukee Art Mu...
Lithograph, Offset
Tribal Sign
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Tribal Sign, 1987 Signed and dated in pencil with publisher's blindstamp Eleven color lithograph on mauve TGL handmade paper Sheet: 24 x 18.5 inches Frame: 33 x 27 inches Edition 25 ...
Color, Lithograph
$2,500
Helen Frankenthaler - Postcard of Jacob's Ladder, 1957, Hand Signed, Framed
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Offset lithograph postcard Hand signed and dated 1989 in blue marker on the verso Provenance: Collection of Dan Pope, former CBS cameraman who amassed one of the best collection of v...
Postcard
Ramblas
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in London, GB
Lithograph, drypoint, etching in colours, 1987/88, on handmade wove paper, signed in pencil, numbered from the edition of 75, printed and published by Polígrafa Obra Gráfica, Barcelo...
Drypoint, Etching, Lithograph
"Sirocco" Mixographia
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Los Angeles, CA
“Sirocco” by Helen Frankenthaler . Mixographia embossed engraving on handmade paper. Unique color from the regular numbered edition. 51/52. Hand signed by artist, dated 1989. Pri...
Ink, Handmade Paper
Acrobat (detail), Limited Edition Porcelain Plate in bespoke gift box - Abstract
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
This porcelain/ceramic plate makes a gorgeous gift - in a bright blue bespoke box, ready to be gifted. Any fan of Helen Frankenthaler or Abstract Expressionist art would be thrilled!...
Porcelain, Screen, Cardboard, Mixed Media
Aerie
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered in pencil
Screen
Hand signed letter from Helen Frankenthaler framed + Arkatov's signed portrait
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
This work features a photographic portrait of Helen Frankenthaler, taken by renowned musician and photographer Jim Arkatov, founder of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchester, and author o...
Ink, Photographic Paper, Rag Paper
Solar Imp
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Screenprint in colors on wove paper. Signed by the artist in pencil and also numbered 96/126 in pencil. Published by Lincoln Center List Poster and Print Program, New York. Second ...
Screen, Color
Acrobat
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) is one of the most revered abstract painters of the 20th century as well as being one of the most successful and collected female artists. Her current...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
Vuillard's Chariot
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Created by the artist in 2006 as an original color lithograph, Vuillard’s Chariot measures 24 ¾ in. x 30 1/8 in. (62.87 cm x 76.52 cm), unframed, and is from the edition of 50 as iss...
Lithograph
Untitled
By Henri Goetz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled Signed in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition: 25 (9/25) (see photo) Engraving, drypoint & carborundum Printed by the artist Condition: Excellent, slight residue on rever...
Drypoint, Etching
Joan Miro (after) - Moon and Sun - Pochoir
By Joan Miró
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Joan Miro (after) - Moon and Sun - Pochoir From the literary review "XXe Siècle" 1957 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm Publisher: G. di San Lazzaro. Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Stencil
$929
H 12.6 in W 9.85 in D 0.04 in
Joan Miro (After) - Pochoir Pour 'XX Siecle'- Abstract Stencil
By (after) Joan Miró
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Published in the deluxe art review, XXe Siecle in 1958. Printed by Daniel Jacomet. 1958 Dimensions: 32 x 25 cm Publisher: G. di San Lazzaro. Catalogue raisonne: Dupin 1312 Biogr...
Stencil
$2,789
H 29.93 in W 22.05 in D 0.04 in
Jean Miotte - Abstract Composition - Original Signed Lithograph
By Jean Miotte
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Jean Miotte - Rare Original Signed Lithograph Title: Abstract Composition Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm Edition: 64/99 Signed and Numbered in pencil Jean Miotte, 1926 - 2016 Miotte came o...
Aquatint
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
H 49 in W 32 in
Frankenthaler, Mary Mary 1991, New York City, Lincoln Center
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: After Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) Title: Mary Mary (Lincoln Center Honorary) Year: 1991 Medium: Offset lithograph poster on extra thick Somerset paper Edition: 2000 Size...
Lithograph, Offset
Untitled
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
67.3 x 88.9 cms (26.5 x 35 ins) Edition of 50 Signed lower right, numbered lower left. Published by Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo. Printed by Harumi Sonoyama at Gendai hanga Kobo Co...
Color, Lithograph
André Masson - Original Lithograph
By André Masson
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
André Masson - Composition Original Lithograph 1969 Dimensions: 32 x 25 cm Revue XXe Siècle Cahiers d'art published under the direction of G. di San Laz...
Lithograph
$290
H 20.48 in W 14.57 in D 0.04 in
Untitled - Offset and Lithograph after Willem De Kooning - 1985
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an offset and lithograph print realized on Fabriano Paper after a drawing by Willem De Kooning of 1980. The print suite was realized in 1985 in a limited edition of 2500...
Lithograph, Offset
$7,000
H 26.5 in W 19.5 in
"Untitled" Richard Serra, Black and White, Sculptural, Simple Abstracted Form
By Richard Serra
Located in New York, NY
Richard Serra Untitled, 1990 Signed and dated lower left, stamped Gemini G.E.L. on the reverse Screen-print on PTI Supra paper 26 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches 430/500 Known for large-scale ...
Paper, Screen
$302
H 14.57 in W 20.48 in D 0.04 in
Untitled - Offset and Lithograph after Willem De Kooning - 1985
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an offset and lithograph print realized on Fabriano Paper after a drawing by Willem De Kooning of 1958. Signed o the plate on the lower. The print suite was realized i...
Lithograph, Offset
Stones III (~22% OFF LIST PRICE)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Avraham Inlender Stones III Color Offset Lithograph Year: 2003 Size: 5.9 x 5.5 inches (15 x 14 cm) Signed in pencil COA provided Avraham Inlender (1932–2003) was a Polish-born arti...
Lithograph, Offset
$900
H 24.07 in W 36 in
Lee Krasner: A Retrospective - The Museum of Modern Art (Celebration) Poster
By Lee Krasner
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Lee Krasner (American, 1908-1984) Title: "Lee Krasner: A Retrospective - The Museum of Modern Art (Celebration)" *Signed and dated in the plate (printed signature) lo...
Lithograph, Offset
Mary Mary
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) is one of the most revered abstract painters of the 20th century, and one of the most successful and collected female artists of all time. She was a ...
Lithograph, Screen, Offset
Sudden Snow
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) is one of the most revered abstract painters of the 20th century, and one of the most successful and collected female artists of all time. She was a ...
Lithograph
Sold
H 25.5 in W 31.5 in
"Celebration '76" Helen Frankenthaler, Female Artist, Color Field, Yellow, Blue
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Helen Frankenthaler Celebration '76, 1976 Signed and dated lower left, inscribed lower right Offset lithograph in colors Image 22 1/4 x 30 1/4 inches Sheet 25 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches T...
Lithograph
Sold
H 25.75 in W 18 in
Silkscreen from the estate of Stephen Poleskie, Berggruen 11, Clark 12 Harrison
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Helen Frankenthaler Untitled, from the estate of Stephen Poleskie (Berggruen 11, Clark 12, Harrison and Boorsch 11), 1967 Color silkscreen on wove paper Unframed A unique unsigned pr...
Screen
Ramblas
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) is one of the most revered abstract painters of the 20th century in addition to being one of the most successful and collected female artists. Franke...
Lithograph
Helen Frankenthaler “Mary Mary” 1987
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in San Francisco, CA
Helen Frankenthaler: 1928-2011. Well listed very important American abstract expressionist. Her paintings have sold well into the millions of dollars. This particular print is done a...
Screen
Sold
H 33.75 in W 38.88 in
Lincoln Center (Aerie) Poster /// Helen Frankenthaler Female Abstract Modern Art
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928-2011) Title: "Lincoln Center (Aerie)" Series: Lincoln Center Posters *Issued unsigned, though signed by Frankenthaler in the plate (printe...
Screen
Helen Frankenthaler - Lush Spring Framed Print
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Central, HK
This print features a reproduction of Lush Spring (1975) by Helen Frankenthaler. It’s mounted and laminated for protection from dust and UV rays, and floated in a hand-stained, natur...
Wood, Paper
Helen Frankenthaler - Tutti-Frutti Framed Print
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Central, HK
This print features a reproduction of Tutti-Frutti (1966) by Helen Frankenthaler. It's mounted and laminated for protection from dust and UV rays, and floated in a hand-stained, natu...
Wood, Paper
Sold
H 36.25 in W 36.25 in D 0.88 in
"Sun Corner" Modern Abstract Minimalist Blue, Yellow, Red, & Green Lithograph
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract lithograph by American artist Helen Frankenthaler. The work features sweeping blocks of blue and yellow colors with central green and red markings. Signed, dated, and...
Screen
Midnight
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
DESCRIPTION aquatint and drypoint printed in colors, signed in pencil, dated, numbered 43/71 (total edition includes eight artist's proofs), on Magnani wove paper, with the blindstam...
Drypoint, Aquatint
Plaza Real
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color soft-ground etching, etching and aquatint on White Rives BFK paper. Signed, dated and numbered 55/60 in pencil, lower margin. Printed and publish...
Color, Etching, Aquatint