Frank Stella papers, 1941-1993, bulk, 1978-1989

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A Finding Aid to the Frank Stella Papers, 1941-1993, bulk 1978-1989, in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

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Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

Frank Stella (b. 1936) achieved professional recognition at a young age and soon became internationally prominent and influential. Known for his amazing productivity and energy, for more than forty years this abstract artist has made paintings, prints, and sculpture in a variety of styles that have been described as ranging from minimalist to "maximalist."

While a student at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., Stella enrolled in an art appreciation course with a studio component held at the school's Addison Gallery of American Art. He then immersed himself in a studio program and became friendly with the instructor, abstract painter Patrick Morgan. Frank Stella, Carl Andre, and other students were often invited to Morgan's home where he and his wife Maude, also an artist, showed their collection of contemporary American art and discussed art seen at New York galleries. At Princeton University Stella decided to major in history, and continued to paint on his own. Studio art courses were not yet a part of the curriculum, but he soon learned that art history instructor and abstract painter William Seitz had started a not-for-credit painting studio that met at night in one of the architectural drawing studios. In this informal group Stella met Darby Bannard, a serious painter who was to become a close friend; he also developed a friendship with fellow student Michael Fried during their years at Princeton. Following Seitz's recommendation, Stella began visiting New York galleries. With the 1956 appointment of Stephen Greene as its first artist-in-residence, Princeton began offering studio courses which Stella took full advantage of. His work was influenced by what he had seen at the galleries on his many trips to New York - de Kooning and Frankenthaler, and later Rothko and Gottlieb - and his junior year essay about Hiberno-Saxon illuminated manuscripts, "Art in Western Christendom," made reference to Jackson Pollock.

Stella headed for New York City after his 1958 graduation from Princeton, where his family expect he would study law at Columbia or New York University. Instead, he rented a storefront studio on the Lower East Side and began his "transitional" paintings, earning a living by painting houses a few days a week. Before long he moved to a loft, and by winter had begun the Black series. Once settled in New York, Stella was introduced to critic Clement Greenberg and began meeting artists such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. He first exhibited professionally at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in the spring of 1959 when one of his Black paintings, Club Onyx, was included in a group show. By the end of that summer the artist was represented by the Leo Castelli Gallery which soon sold a Black painting, Clinton Plaza, the first to be acquired by someone outside his immediate circle of friends. Stella's former teacher, William Seitz, recommended that Stella be included in an exhibition of emerging talent at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College; he also urged Museum of Modern Art curator Dorothy Miller to look at Stella's painting at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, which resulted in an invitation participate in her exhibition, Sixteen Americans. The Museum of Modern Art purchased The Marriage of Reason and Squalor from the exhibition. Opportunities to show in group and solo exhibitions continued at a steady pace, and in1961 Stella had his first one-man show in Europe. He is one of the very few artists honored by The Museum of Modern Art with two retrospective exhibitions (1970 and 1987).

Frank Stella's work is characterized by changing styles. Abstract expressionist paintings of his student days gave way to minimalist work that soon incorporated shaped canvases and eventually stressed color and curved motifs. By the 1980s his minimalist aesthetic had been replaced by dynamic mixed media pieces. Shaped paintings developed into wall constructions with large, projecting, multiple components and lively brush stroke patterns. By the 1990s, much of Stella's work was fully three-dimensional.

The University of California at Irvine invited Stella to be its artist in residence in 1967; Barbara Rose (Stella's wife from 1961-1969), who was in the process of writing American Art Since 1960, was asked to lecture on contemporary art. With their young daughter and infant son, they moved to California. Upon arrival they were asked to sign a loyalty oath required of all state employees; Barbara signed, but Frank refused. While she lectured and wrote, he played lots of tennis. Soon master printer Ken Tyler persuaded Stella, who had never seriously pursued printmaking, to work with lithography. His first prints were Star of Persia I and Star of Persia II (designs from the Notched V series of 1964-65 not previously executed) and the entire edition sold by the end of the year. He has continued making prints, working in series as he does with his paintings; many of his print series are based on painting series of the same name. Stella's prints often rival paintings in their scale and bold color. Since 1967 Stella has produced prints with Ken Tyler, first in Los Angeles at Gemini G.E.L., and later in Bedford, N.Y. where Tyler Graphics Ltd. was established in 1974. Their close working relationship has resulted a large number of remarkable prints employing practically every graphic technique - sometimes in startling combinations - using a wide range of materials, and prompting innovative solutions to technical challenges. By 1972, Stella was also producing prints with Petersburg Press, Ltd. of London and New York; three years later, Petersburg installed a commercial lithography press on the first floor of Stella's home in New York City.

Throughout his career, Frank Stella has been sought after as a speaker, teacher, visiting critic, and artist in residence. Most noteworthy among these activities was his appointment as the Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard for the academic year 1983-84. Stella, Accompanied by his wife Harriet and their two small boys, Stella spent much of the preceding year at the American Academy in Rome looking at Italian art, particularly Caravaggio, planning and researching the lectures he would deliver at Harvard. His six Norton Lectures, which presented a nontraditional evaluation the work of Caravaggio, Rubens, Carracci, Picasso, Pollock, and others, related abstract painting of the twentieth century to the art of the past. These well-received lectures were published in 1986 as book titled Working Space.

In recent years Stella was commissioned to produce several large works for public spaces including several outdoor sculptures, a large decorative relief frieze and the interior dome of the Princess of Wales Theater in Toronto, and his first completed architectural project, a bandshell for the City of Miami.

Date

Event

1936

Born May 12, Malden, Mass.

1950-1954

Student at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.; studies painting with Patrick Morgan; meets Carl Andre and Hollis Frampton, fellow students.

1954-1958

Student at Princeton University; paints in William Seitz's non-credit open studio; Darby Bannard is a fellow student; begins visiting New York galleries to see contemporary art studies with Stephen Greene, 1956, artist-in-residence; meets Michael Fried, also a Princeton undergraduate; writes thesis on Hiberno-Saxon illuminated manuscripts.

1958

Moves to New York City, rents a storefront on the Lower East Side to use as a studio during the summer and works part-time as a house painter; in the fall moves to a loft on West Broadway; Darby Bannard introduces him to critic Clement Greenberg.

1959

Black series painting included in a group show at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, Stella's first professional exhibition included in "Sixteen Americans" exhibition, Museum of Modern Art; joins Castelli Gallery; The Marriage of Reason and Squalor purchased by Museum of Modern Art; Carl Andre introduces him to Barbara Rose, a Columbia University graduate student in art history; resumes friendships with Carl Andre and Hollis Frampton.

1960

Paints first shaped canvases; first solo exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery.

1961

Applies for Fulbright Grant to study in Japan; first trip to Europe; first solo exhibition at Galerie Lawrence, Paris; marriage to Barbara Rose.

1962

Birth of daughter Rachel.

1963

Artist in Residence, Dartmouth College; travels in Iran.

1964

Included in U.S. section, XXXII Venice Biennale.

1965

Travels to Brazil.

1966

Performs in "Open Score," a game of tennis with racquets that transmitted sound and light composed by Robert Rauschenberg; birth of son Michael.

1967

Appointment as Artist in Residence, University of California, Irvine but refuses to sign the required loyalty oath and does not teach; makes first prints at Gemini G.E.L.; teaches advanced summer workshop, University of Saskatchewan; designs sets and costumes for "Scramble," Merce Cunningham's performance at Connecticut College Dance Festival.

1969

Divorce from Barbara Rose; teaches beginning painting to undergraduates at Brandeis University, spring semester.

1970

Retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.

1973

Travels to Brazil, Paris, London.

1974

Honorary degree, Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

1975

Birth of daughter Laura to Shirley De Lemos Wyse.

1976

Car painted with design Stella created for BMW races at Le Mans.

1977

Travels to India, London, and Germany; meets race drivers Ronnie Peterson and Peter Gregg.

1978

Marries Dr. Harriet McGurk

1979

Receives Claude Moore Fuss Award for "distinguished contribution to public service," Phillips Academy; creates design for Peter Gregg's race car.

1980

Survives auto crash with Peter Gregg en route to Le Mans.

1981

Awarded Honorary Fellowship, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem; travels in Egypt and Venice; awarded Medal for Painting, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

1982

Mayor's Award of Honor for Arts and Culture; birth of son Peter; Residency in Painting, American Academy in Rome (Nov.-Dec. and Spring 1983), where he begins researching and writing the lectures he will present at Harvard during the coming academic year.

1983-1984

Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry, Harvard University; delivers a series of six lectures titled "Working Space" (Oct.-April)

1984

Honorary degree, Princeton University; birth of son Patrick.

1985

Honorary degree, Dartmouth College; Award of American Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

1986

Honorary degree, Brandeis University; travels to England; publication of Working Space.

1987

Second retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.

1988

First architectural project, a proposal for a footbridge over the Seine River, in collaboration with engineer Peter Rice.

1990

The Symphony commissioned by Art In Embassies Program, U. S. State Department.

1991

The Leaves, a work created in collaboration with Peter Rice, Alexander, Cott, Earl Childress, and Bob Kahn for the New Groninger Museum, The Netherlands.

1992

Designs decorative relief frieze and interior dome, commissioned by David Mirvish, for the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The Frank Stella papers, 12.3 linear feet, document the artist's professional and personal life. Papers date from 1941-1993, with the bulk spanning the period 1978-1989. Among the papers are correspondence, a small cache of records from his years as an undergraduate at Princeton University, writings by and about Stella, interview transcripts, sketchbooks, registers and inventories, financial records, printed matter, and photographs.

Correspondence, 1966-1989 and undated (Series 1), consists mainly of incoming letters, many annotated with brief notes indicating Stella's reply, and carbon copies of a small number of replies. Correspondence is with individuals, dealers, institutions and organizations and concerns professionals and personal business matters including awards and prizes, exhibitions, art loans and sales, fan mail; requests for autographs, interviews, studio tours, donations, jury service, exhibitions, critiques, information, lectures, and for Stella's participation in programs or events; legal matters, and political fund raising activities.

Princeton University records, 1954-1958 (Series 2), contain course materials, papers examinations, notes, and Stella's thesis, "Art in Wester Christendom." Correspondence regards university and personal business, including Stella's Selective Service student deferment. Also included are letters from Stella's parents and friends, pencil drawings and sketches, photographs of student work by Stella, and printed matter.

Writings, 1968-1993 and undated (Series 3), consist of articles, talks and lectures by Stella, his Norton Lectures delivered at Harvard published as Working Space, and miscellaneous notes. Writings about Stella are drafts of exhibition catalogs and manuscripts of articles. Interview Transcripts, 1964-1993 and undated (Series 4), include 13 published and unpublished interviews with Frank Stella conducted for publication as magazine articles or as research for exhibition catalogs, and a transcript of an interview with Philip Leider.

Sketchbooks, 1956-1968 and undated (Series 5), 10 volumes, contain sketches in pencil, ink, and colored markers. One includes notes on new paintings, color, and shape; another contains a list of artists and notes on abstract composition. Registers and Inventories, 1959-1983 and undated (Series 6), were compiled for various purposes and record paintings, works in mixed media, drawings, series, inventories prepared by dealers, and miscellaneous notes and lists compiled or collected by Stella.

Financial Records, 1972-1986 (Series 7), document both personal and professional expenses. They consist of banking records, paid bills, payroll, petty cash slips and receipts, and records of race horse expenses.

Printed Matter, 1957-1993 and undated (Series 8), includes articles by Stella and his book Working Space. Articles about Stella include feature stories and interviews, exhibition reviews, reviews of his book, and other articles that mention him briefly and/or include a reproduction of his work. Also included are catalogs, invitations and announcements for solo and group shows, and exhibitions juried by Stella. Other printed matter consists of announcements of limited edition prints, printed matter from events in which Stella participated, and miscellaneous items.

Photographs, 1941-1989 and undated (Series 9), are of people, exhibitions, works of art, places, and miscellaneous subjects. Photographs of Stella include an image of him as a young child, Stella with his wife Dr. Harriet McGurk, with his infant son, and with others. Exhibition photographs are of the opening of "Frank Stella: Neue Werke" at Galerie Würthle, 1984, and installation views of his 1989 show at Knoedler & Co., "Frank Stella: New Work." Photographs of works of art include prints, 35 mm color slides, and color transparencies of works by Stella. Places pictured are views of the Gemini G.E.L. studio, and miscellaneous subjects are horses and a banner at the Metropolitan Museum of art mimicking a black painting (not created or authorized by Stella).

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is organized into nine series:

• Series 1: Correspondence, 1966-1989, undated (Boxes 1-4; 3.25 linear feet)
• Series 2: Princeton University, 1954-1958, undated (Box 4; 0.25 linear feet)
• Series 3: Writings, 1968-1993, undated (Boxes 4-7; 2.3 linear feet)
• Series 4: Interview Transcripts, 1964-1993, undated (Box 7; 0.25 linear feet)
• Series 5: Sketchbooks, 1956-1968, undated (Box 8; 0.25 linear feet)
• Series 6: Registers and Inventories, 1959-1983, undated (Box 8; 0.25 linear feet)
• Series 7: Financial Records, 1972-1986 (Boxes 8-11; 4.0 linear feet)
• Series 8: Printed Matter, 1957-1993, undated (Boxes 12-13 and ov fldr 14; 1.5 linear feet)
• Series 9: Photographs, 1941-1989, undated (Box 13; 0.25 linear feet)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

The collection was a gift of Frank and Harriet Stella in 1993.

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Catherine S. Gaines in 2001-2002.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Frank Stella papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

How to Cite this Collection

Frank Stella papers, 1941-1993, bulk 1978-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Correspondence, 1966-1989, undated (Boxes 1-4; 3.25 linear feet)

Awards correspondence is about various prizes and honorary degrees conferred. Correspondence with dealers concerns exhibitions, loans, and sales. Fan Mail includes general letters and ones specifically regarding Stella's Norton Lecture series at Harvard University. Correspondence with organizations and institutions consists mainly of requests for Stella's participation in programs or events. Legal correspondence concerns lawsuits, real estate matters, speeding tickets, and unauthorized reproductions of Stella's work. Miscellaneous correspondence regards conservation, Nicaragua, poster designs, and a catalogue raisonné project for Stella's prints. Permissions correspondence concerns publication, reproduction, recording, filming and broadcasting of Stella's art work and writings. Political correspondence is mainly about various campaign fund raising activities supported or organized by Stella. Projects proposed but not executed consists of correspondence and related records about four major proposals. Requests Accepted consists of appeals from individuals, institutions, and organizations for autographs, donations, interviews, etc. Requests Denied-more broad ranging than Requests Accepted-includes offers of visiting artist/teaching positions, requests for lectures, art jury service, studio tours, proposals for exhibitions and collaborative projects, etc. Correspondence with schools, colleges, and universities regards exhibitions and loans to affiliated galleries, Stella's participation in programs or events, donations, service as a visiting critic or lecturer, etc.

A small amount of additional correspondence is included with Stella's papers from his undergraduate years at Princeton University (Series 2). Correspondence concerning the editorial process for Working Space is filed with Writings by Stella (Series 3.1.).

This series is organized into twelve subseries:

• 1.1: Awards, 1978-1989
• 1.2: Dealers, 1966-1989, undated
• 1.3: Fan Mail, 1980-1989, undated
• 1.4: Organizations and Institutions, 1973-1989, undated
• 1.5: Legal, 1972-1991
• 1.6: Miscellaneous, 1980-1991
• 1.7: Permissions, 1981-1989
• 1.8: Political, 1979-1989, undated
• 1.9: Projects Proposed but Not Executed, 1982-1984, undated
• 1.10: Requests Accepted, 1980-1989
• 1.11: Requests Denied, 1976-1989, undated
• 1.12: Schools, Colleges, and Universities, 1977-1989

1.1: Awards, 1978-1989

1.2: Dealers, 1966-1989, undated

1.3: Fan Mail, 1980-1989, undated

1.4: Institutions and Organizations, 1973-1989, undated

1.5: Legal, 1972-1991

1.6: Miscellaneous, 1980-1986

1.7: Permissions, 1981-1989

1.8: Political, 1979-1989, undated

1.9: Projects Proposed but Not Executed, 1982-1984, undated

1.10: Requests Accepted, 1980-1989

1.11: Requests Denied, 1976-1989, undated

1.12: Schools, Colleges and Universities, 1972-1989

Series 2: Princeton University, 1954-1958, undated (Box 4; 0.25 linear feet)

Princeton University papers document Stella's undergraduate years and record both university and personal business.

Series 3: Writings, 1968-1993, undated (Boxes 4 - 7; 2.3 linear feet)

This series is organized into two subseries:

• 3.1: Writings By Stella, 1968-1993, undated
• 3.2: Writings About Stella, 1978-1987, undated

3.1: Writings By Stella, 1968-1993, undated

Writings by Frank Stella consist of manuscripts for articles, talks and lectures. Included are manuscripts and notes for the series of six lectures delivered during his tenure as Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry, Harvard University, 1983-1984. Stella's Norton Lectures were published under the title Working Space by Harvard University in 1986; drafts, revisions, with correspondence relating to the editorial process are included. Among his notes are a notebook containing reminders, shopping lists, engagements, a few sketches and miscellaneous doodles; also, notes about materials, color, scale, and the Exotic Bird series; names, addresses, and phone numbers; mailing lists, invitation and guest lists.

3.2: Writings About Stella, 1978-1987, undated

Writings about Frank Stella include manuscripts for articles, exhibition catalogs, and a gallery talk

Series 4: Interview Transcripts, 1964-1993, undated (Box 7; 0.25 linear feet)

Interview Transcripts represent published and unpublished interviews with Stella recorded for a variety of purposes. The interview with Philip Leider touches on many issues in contemporary art, and mentions Stella only briefly.

The transcripts are arranged chronologically.

Series 5: Sketchbooks, 1956-1968, undated (Box 8; 0.25 linear feet)

This series contains ten volumes of sketches in pencil, ink, and colored markers; two volumes contain related notes.

Series 6: Registers and Inventories, 1959-1983, undated (Box 8; 0.25 linear feet)

Among the Registers and Inventories are copies of records kept by dealers, as well as Stella's own records. Some of these files may have been compiled when The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonné 1967-1982 by Richard H. Axsom and William S. Rubin's catalogs for Stella's two retrospective exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art were being researched. Texts of these catalogs are among Writings (Series 3.2.2).

Series 7: Financial Records, 1972-1986 (Boxes 8 - 11; 4.0 linear feet)

Banking records consist of statements and cancelled checks. Petty cash receipts document personal and business purchases and include routine expenses such as groceries and parking, as well as art supplies, travel and entertainment. Paid bills are for personal and professional expenses including supplies, fabrication charges, studio remodeling, rental of studio in Connecticut, shipping, and travel. Most are annotated with the date of payment and check number. Records regarding expenses incurred by Stella's race horses include veterinary bills, boarding and transportation charges, stud fees, racetrack entry fees and winnings.

• 7.1: Banking, 1984-1986
• 7.2: Paid Bills, 1972-1986
• 7.3: Payroll, 1986
• 7.4: Petty Cash, 1984-1986
• 7.5: Race Horses, 1983-1985

7.1: Banking Records, 1984-1986

7.2: Paid Bills, 1972-1986

7.3: Payroll, 1986

7.4: Petty Cash, 1984-1986

7.5: Race Horses, 1983-1985

Series 8: Printed Matter, 1957-1993, undated (Boxes 12-13 and ov 14; 1.5 linear feet)

This series is organized into seven subseries:

• 8.1: By Frank Stella, 1984-1989
• 8.2: Announcements of Limited Edition Prints, 1979-1993, undated
• 8.3: Articles, 1957-1991, undated
• 8.4: Exhibition Catalogs, Inviations and Announcements, 1960-1993, undated
• 8.5: Events with Stella Partiicpation, 1982-1988, undated
• 8.6: Miscellaneous Items, 1958-1993, undated
• 8.7: Oversize, 1984-1992

8.1: By Frank Stella, 1984-1989

8.2: Announcements of Limited Edition Prints, 1979-1993, undated

8.3: Articles, 1957-1991, undated

8.4: Exhibition Catalogs, Invitations and Announcements, 1960-1993, undated

8.5: Events with Stella Participation, 1982-1988, undated

8.6: Miscellaneous Items, 1958-1993, undated

8.7: Oversize, 1983-1992

Series 9: Photographs, 1941-1989, undated (Box 13; 0.25 linear feet)

Photographs are of people, exhibitions, works of art by Stella, places, and miscellaneous subjects. See also the Princeton University papers (Series 2) which include two photographs of a painting executed by Stella during his student days.

This series is organized into five subseries. Within each category, photographs are organized into the subjects indicated by the folder titles listed below. Each folder is arranged chronologically.

• 9.1: People, 1941-1993, undated
• 9.2: Exhibitions, 1982-1989
• 9.3: Works of Art, undated
• 9.4: Places, circa 1974
• 9.5: Miscellaneous 1979-1986

9.1: People, 1941-1993, undated

9.2: Exhibitions, 1984-1989

9.3: Works of Art, undated

9.4: Places, circa 1974

9.5: Miscellaneous, 1979-1986