Stellar Stella

"What you see, is what you see," Frank Stella famously remarked in 1964. An incredibly prolific contemporary artist who pushed the boundaries of simplicity in his 1950's black line paintings, Stella has explored composition, color, and mediums throughout his almost-sixty year career. Stella is most frequently associated with his "Protractor" paintings of the 1960's and 70's where he meticulously laid out patterns related to a mathematics protractor, then infused the canvas with bold colors. Lesser known but equally powerful are Stella's massive mixed media sculptures that combine materials as disparate as aluminum, felt, and paint. The exceptional Whitney Museum of Art has partnered with the Museum of Modern Art of Fort Worth and the de Young Museum in San Francisco to present a powerhouse exhibit of Stella's work that spans every century of his career. Whether you're in a host city for this exhibit or if it requires a trip, it's worth it to go. Simply put: Stella is Stellar.