Beschreibung:

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN COLLECTION Frank Stella Level VI B, Shrine VI 2001 enamel on cast aluminum 74 3/4 x 72 5/8 x 30 3/4 in. (190 x 184.5 x 78 cm)
Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner Catalogue Essay Level VI B, Shrine VI, 2001, is exemplary of Frank Stella’s sculptural mastery of abstracted coloration. This large wall sculpture appears as a stratified, archaeological cut-away rendered in bright hues of pink, turquoise, green and red. A metal pipe dissects this geometric cube and protrudes from either side. As a master of the minimal, Stella has explained that his interest in the sculpture was spurred by his passion for architecture and has said that he wanted to “set painting free from the wall.” (J. Russell, “CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: Frank Stella Builds a Landmark Out of Romanticism and Steel; A Monumental Sculpture Is Headed for Washington,” The New York Times, May 17, 2001). Stella explains that “I don’t know how I got into sculpture. I liked its physicality, that’s the only reason. I didn’t have a program….The paintings got sculptural because the forms got more complicated. I’ve learned to weave in and out. The earlier pieces themselves are stiff, while the recent pieces are individually more manipulated. They are more complex to begin with, but their organization, the way they end up being put together, isn’t that different. You can’t shake your own sensibility.” (Frank Stella in “Frank Stella by Saul Ostrow; BOMB --- Artists in Conversation,” BOMB Magazine, Spring 2000). Stella has never wanted to limit himself within his artistic limitations and the present lot demonstrates that, within the latter part of his career, his work has only been more intriguing in form. “Making art is complicated because the categories are always changing. You just have to make your own art, and whatever categories it falls into will come later. Making art, for me, is the opportunity to be free of one's own identity. It's not about finding one's identity, no matter what the psychologists say. It's about losing one's identity. I want to make something great that applies to everyone. Then I myself can be submerged.'' (J. Russell, “CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: Frank Stella Builds a Landmark Out of Romanticism and Steel; A Monumental Sculpture Is Headed for Washington,” The New York Times, May 17, 2001). Read More Artist Bio Frank Stella American • 1936 - N/A One of the most important living artists, Frank Stella is recognized as the most significant painter that transitioned from Abstract Expressionism to Minimalism. He believes that the painting should be the central object of interest rather than represenative of some subject outside of the work. Stella experimented with relief and created sculptural pieces with prominent properties of collage included. Rejecting the normalities of Minimalism, the artist transformed his style in a way that inspired those who had lost hope for the practice. Stella lives in Malden, Massachusetts and is based in New York and Rock Tavern, New York. View More Works