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.
Hand Signed Abstract Lithographs by Motherwell Frankenthaler Rivers Mid Century
By Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, Larry Rivers
Located in Atlanta, GA
American abstract art exhibition offset lithographs featuring the artwork of Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, and Larry Rivers. All hand signed by the artists after printing. ...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Helen Frankenthaler Color Etching
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Ganymede, 1978 Etching with aquatint 9/49 Pencil signed and dated by the artist.
Paper
Helen Frankenthaler "Dream Walk" Lithograph, Signed and Numbered 39/47
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toledo, OH
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) Six color lithograph, Dream Walk, 1977. Number 39 from an edition of 47, pencil lower left corner. Signed and dated 1977 in pencil in lower right cor...
Paper
Helen Frankenthaler Color Lithograph Mid Century Abstract Art 29" x 22"
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Atlanta, GA
Colorful Abstract Lithograph, by Helen Frankenthaler, American, circa 1960s. It has been recently professionally framed in a clean lined white lacquer wood frame under UV resistant g...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$1,050
H 2 in W 29.88 in D 0.07 in
Contemporary Signed French Abstract Color Lithograph, Colorful French Modern Art
Located in Miami, FL
Modern French Color Lithograph signed Fitzori, French school color lithograph Titled "Bonjour Madame". This original French color lithograph bursting with vibrant, eye-catching col...
Paper
$506
H 7.88 in W 11.82 in D 0.04 in
Signed, Numbered and Dated Limited Edition Colored Lithograph by Corneille
By Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo (Corneille)
Located in Little Burstead, Essex
This example is untitled, but depicts a cat and bird with head of a woman, and is numbered 54/99 and signed and dated 1999 and is in perfect condition. The artist is Guillaume Bever...
Paper
Patricia Jean Burg Color Lithograph
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Color Lithograph by Patricia Jean Burg. Canadian artist and printmaker, active in the United States, born 1934. Very decorative work of ar...
Chrome
$360Sale Price|20% Off
H 19.1 in W 27.76 in D 0.1 in
Mid Century Modern Abstract Art Lithograph Signed Aki Kimoto
Located in Miami, FL
Original modern art lithograph by Japanese artist Aki Kimoto. This colorful piece bears an original signature and is number 12/150 of the limited edition. Combining cubic images as w...
Paper
Hans Fischer "Beasties" Etchings
By Hans Fischer
Located in Atlanta, GA
Hans Fischer "Beasties" etchings, circa 1959. These etchings are from the limited edition folio ''Homme Deguise en Homme" and dep...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$3,500
H 13.75 in W 21.75 in D 1 in
Joan Miro Lithograph Titled "Miro Sculptor Japan, " Signed and Numbered
By Joan Miró
Located in New York, NY
This is a Joan Miro lithograph. Titled: Miro Sculptor Japan. It was a print exclusively for Collector's Guild members. Signed in the stone. Numbered 2/1000 in pencil. Framed measures...
Paper
Selection of Large Joan Miro Color Lithographs
By (after) Joan Miró
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Joan Miro large color lithographs, France, circa 1960s. We purchased a group of these color lithographs from the estate of a couple that l...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Kiki Smith Etching
By Kiki Smith
Located in Long Island City, NY
“Prints mimic what we are as humans. We are all the same and yet everyone is different. I also think there’s a spiritual power in repetition, a devotional quality, like saying rosari...
Paper
$1,160Sale Price|20% Off
H 21.25 in W 28 in D 1 in
Alexander Calder "Merging Curves" Unsigned Abstract Color Lithograph
By Alexander Calder
Located in Skokie, IL
Alexander Calder "Merging Curves" Unsigned Abstract Color Lithograph "Merging Curves" is an abstract color lithograph by American artist and sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976). ...
Metal
Early Untitled Lithograph by Robert Motherwell
By Robert Motherwell
Located in Stamford, CT
"Untitled" by Robert Motherwell was printed as part of "9", a portfolio with works of 9 other abstract expressionist artists including Willem de Kooning, Sam Francis, Ellsworth Kelly...
Paper
$800Sale Price / item|33% Off
H 13.5 in W 6.75 in D 0.25 in
Mid-Century Modern Unframed Calyph's Favorite Erté Hand Signed Lithograph
By Erté
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a marvelous, hand signed lithograph by artist Erté, father of the Art Deco movement. Size is 13.5" H x 6.75” W. In excellent vintage condition. Romain de...
Paper
$800Sale Price / item|33% Off
H 13 in W 10 in D 0.25 in
Mid-Century Modern Deco Unframed Calyph's Concubine Erte Signed Lithograph
By Erté
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a gorgeous, unframed, hand signed lithograph by artist Erte, father of the Art Deco movement. Size is 13” H x 10” W unframed. Romain de Tirtoff was a Rus...
Paper
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H 28 in W 33 in D 1 in
Helen Frankenthaler Connected by Joy 1969-73 Signed Aquatint & Etching 3/27 Fram
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A quintessentially modern four-color aquatint & etching titled Connect by Joy 1969-73 by abstract expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler. Hand signed and dated on the bottom right...
Paper
Helen Frankenthaler Bridges Etching Circa 1996 Limited Edition 21/30
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Toledo, OH
Helen Frankenthaler "Bridges" etching. Signed lower right in pencil and dated 1996. Limited edition 21/30. Print makers blind stamp lower right. From Alice Simsar, Ann Arbor, MI.
Paper
Serigraph by Helen Frankenthaler Titled "Aerie", 2009
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Stamford, CT
"Aerie" by Helen Frankenthaler, Signed and with edition number 99/128. Sheet size is 29.5 x 38.75 inches, framed in a 12 karat white gold frame using acid free materials with UV plex...
Paper
Frankenthaler, East and Beyond, Limited Edition '1/1500'
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in valatie, NY
Frankenthaler, East and Beyond. New York: Knoedler & Company, 2011. Limited edition of 1500 hardcover with dust jacket. Exhibition catalogue for a show of Frankenthaler's work from J...
Paper
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H 11 in W 12.25 in D 0.5 in
Art Exhibition Catalogue, "Helen Frankenthaler at Eighty: Six Decades"
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
A beautifully illustrated exhibition catalogue surveying the works of American painter Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). The book was published in occasion of the 2008-2009 show at Kn...
Linen, Paper
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H 9.625 in W 7 in D 0.625 in
Signed Helen Frankenthaler Book of Intaglio Prints, "Valentine for Mr. Wonderful
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
A colorful book of intaglio prints by the American abstract-Expressionist Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). Published by Rizzoli in 1996, 1st edition, hardcover. This book is signed on the title page by Frankenthaler, with a handwritten note to a friend. The painter's love of color radiates in the eight luminously hand-printed intaglio plates with a palette of rich pinks and reds. The book is lovingly dedicated to Frankenthaler's husband and the prints are accompanied by William Carlos Williams...
Fabric, Paper
Signed Helen Frankenthaler Monograph Book
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
A first edition monograph of luminous paintings by the American abstract-Expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). This substantial book was published in 1989 by Harry N....
Plastic, Paper
Silkscreen and Offset Lithograph by Helen Frankenthaler Titled Mary Mary
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Stamford, CT
This print is signed in pencil and numbered 1 of 72, it was also signed on the plate. There were also 9 artist proofs in the edition. The piece was printed on woven paper and was pub...
Paper
Helen Frankenthaler Screenprint Titled "Aerie"
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Stamford, CT
A Serigraph print by Helen Frankenthaler, circa 2009. Full sheet with deckled edge and full bleed to edges. Initialled and numbered 57 from the edition of 128 aside from 20. Artist p...
"Flirt" Screenprint in Colors by Helen Frankenthaler
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Stamford, CT
"Flirt" a screenprint by Helen Frankenthaler ( 1928 - 2011 ). Numbered 32/126. along with 10 artist proofs. Silkscreen in colors, 1995, on woven Somerset paper, signed and numbered ...
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H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 1.5 in
"Radius" a Woodcut Print by Helen Frankenthaler, American, 1929-2011
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Stamford, CT
A Woodcut print by Abstract Expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler, titled Radius, 1992-1993. Printed in nine colors from six wood cut and embossed blocks on hand dyed paper. Artis...
"Cameo" a Signed and Numbered Color Woodcut by Helen Frankenthaler
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in Stamford, CT
"Cameo" a color woodcut by Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). TGL grayish pink paper, handmade color woodcut; signed and numbered 35/51. There are also 10 Artist proofs. Full sheet dim...
Paper