Frank Stella: Unbound

Exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum, 19 May - 23 September 2018;
then at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville, 6 October - 13 January 2019

Focusing on the vital role of literature in the development of the artistic practice of Frank Stella (1936-2024), this exhibition catalogue looks at four transformative series of prints made between 1984 and 1999. Each of these series is named after a literary work - the Had Gadya (a playful song traditionally sung at the end of the Passover Seder), Italian Folktales, compiled by Italo Calvino, Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, and The Dictionary of Imaginary Places by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi.

This investigation offers a critical new perspective on Stella: an examination of his interdisciplinary process, literary approach, and interest in the lessons of art history as crucial factors for his artistic development as a printmaker.