'River of Ponds' Wool Tapestry Rug by Frank Stella, 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Frank Stella (Designer)
- Dimensions:Width: 120.08 in (305 cm)Length: 120.08 in (305 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:
Frank Stella
Frank Stella was one of the central figures in postwar American art. A proponent of minimalism and non-representational abstraction, Stella was a painter, printmaker and sculptor.
A native of Massachusetts, Stella attended Phillips Academy in Andover and earned a BA from Princeton, where he studied art and color theory with Josef Albers and Hans Hofmann. Stella frequented New York galleries as a student and was intrigued by the work of Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, both of whom were at the height of their creative powers in the late 1950s.
After moving to New York in 1958, Stella gravitated toward the geometric abstraction and restrained painting style of Barnett Newman and Jasper Johns.
Johns’s flat, graphic images of common objects such as targets and flags prompt viewers to question the essential nature of representation and whether these pictures are really paintings or simply new iterations of the items themselves. Stella pushed Johns’s reasoning further, considering paintings on canvas as objects in their own right, like sculptures, rather than representations. This led him to reject certain formal conventions, eschewing sketches and often using nontraditional materials, like house paint.
In 1959, Stella created his “Black Paintings,” series, in which bands of black paint are separated by thin, precise stripes of bare canvas. At a time when contemporary painting was all about wild gestures, thick paint and formal abandon, these pieces created a sensation. That same year, Stella's work was included in the exhibition "Sixteen Americans" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he joined the roster of artists represented by Leo Castelli Gallery. In 1960, he began introducing color into his work and using unconventionally shaped canvases to complement his compositions.
In his “Eccentric Polygon” series, from 1965 and ‘66, Stella embraces asymmetry and bold color, creating forms delineated by painted fields and by the edges of the canvas. This series was followed by the 1967–70 “Protractor” series, characterized by colorful circles and arcs. Named after the ancient cities whose circular plans Stella had noticed while traveling in the Middle East during the 1960s, these works usually comprised several canvases set flush against one another so that the geometric figures in each section came together in a larger, more complex whole.
Also in the mid-1960s, Stella started exploring printmaking, initially working with Kenneth Tyler, of Gemini G.E.L., and later installing printing equipment in his own studio. In 1968, he created the “V” series of lithographs, which included the print Quathlamba I. Following a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1970, Stella began working in three dimensions, adding relief elements to paintings, which could almost be considered wall-mounted sculptures.
Stella’s 1970–73 “Polish Village” series was inspired by documentary photos and architectural drawings of Polish synagogues that had been destroyed by Nazis during World War II. The resulting works — composed primarily of paint and cloth on plywood — are more rugged and less polished than his previous series.
Herman Melville's Moby Dick was Stella's muse for a series of three- dimensional works he created in the 1980s in which waveforms, architectural elements and Platonic solids play a prominent role. During this period, Stella embraced a new, exuberant style that is exemplified in "La Scienza della Fiacca."
In 1997, the artist oversaw the creation of the Stella Project, a 5,000-square-foot work inside the Moores Opera House at the University of Houston. A large free-standing sculpture by Stella stands outside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Stella’s work is in the collections of numerous important museums around the world, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Menil Collection, in Houston; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, in Washington, D.C.; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2009, and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary Sculpture by the International Sculpture Center in 2011.
Find original Frank Stella art for sale on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milan, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Arabesco Cashmere Wool Chain Stitch Rug Designed by Barbara FruaBy Barbara Frua De AngeliLocated in Milan, ITBarbara Frua De Angeli is a leading Milanese interior decorator and famed designer. Her work pays homage to Milan's decorative arts tradition in an eclectic fashion, often at crossroads between art and design. She is considered by many as the natural descendant of Giò Ponti, who was also a friend of her family. For this year's Milan Design Week, Barbara Frua has created a collection of rugs for the Alberto Levi Gallery...Category
2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Ginko Cashmere Wool Chain Stitch Rug Designed by Barbara FruaBy Barbara Frua De AngeliLocated in Milan, ITBarbara Frua De Angeli is a leading Milanese interior decorator and famed designer. Her work pays homage to Milan's decorative arts tradition in an eclectic fashion, often at crossroads between art and design. She is considered by many as the natural descendant of Giò Ponti, who was also a friend of her family. For this year's Milan Design Week, Barbara Frua has created a collection of rugs for the Alberto Levi Gallery...Category
2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Corallo Cashmere Wool Chain Stitch Rug Designed by Barbara FruaBy Barbara Frua De AngeliLocated in Milan, ITBarbara Frua De Angeli is a leading Milanese interior decorator and famed designer. Her work pays homage to Milan's decorative arts tradition in an eclectic fashion, often at crossroads between art and design. She is considered by many as the natural descendant of Giò Ponti, who was also a friend of her family. For this year's Milan design week, Barbara Frua has created a collection of rugs for the Alberto Levi Gallery...Category
2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Istrice Cashmere Wool Chain Stitch Rug Designed by Barbara FruaBy Barbara Frua De AngeliLocated in Milan, ITBarbara Frua De Angeli is a leading Milanese interior decorator and famed designer. Her work pays homage to Milan's decorative arts tradition in an eclectic fashion, often at crossro...Category
2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Conchiglia Cashmere Wool Chain Stitch Rug Designed by Barbara FruaBy Barbara Frua De AngeliLocated in Milan, ITBarbara Frua De Angeli is a leading Milanese interior decorator and famed designer. Her work pays homage to Milan's decorative arts tradition in an eclectic fashion, often at crossroads between art and design. She is considered by many as the natural descendant of Giò Ponti, who was also a friend of her family. For this year's Milan Design Week, Barbara Frua has created a collection of rugs for the Alberto Levi Gallery...Category
2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Trigono Cashmere Wool Chain Stitch Rug Designed by Barbara FruaBy Barbara Frua De AngeliLocated in Milan, ITBarbara Frua De Angeli is a leading Milanese interior decorator and famed designer. Her work pays homage to Milan's decorative arts tradition in an eclectic fashion, often at crossroads between art and design. She is considered by many as the natural descendant of Giò Ponti, who was also a friend of her family. For this year's Milan Design Week, Barbara Frua has created a collection of rugs for the Alberto Levi Gallery...Category
2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Western European Rugs
MaterialsWool
- River Riverie Hand Knotted Persian Rug in Wool and Botanical Silk by HandsLocated in New Delhi, INHeriz carpets are beloved for their versatility. Their geometry complements modern furnishings and their warm colors and artistic depth enhances antiques of all kinds. Their richness...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Indian Rugs
MaterialsWool, Silk
- Cressida Bell - "Charleston Pond" RugLocated in New York, NY100% Wool hand-tufted pile rug. Makers mark at one end: 'C' inside a Bell shape. Manufactured in India. Cressida Bell is a British designer specialising in textiles and interiors....Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Indian Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Oversized Abstract Modern River Rug by Doris Leslie BlauLocated in New York, NYOversized Abstract Modern river rug by Doris Leslie Blau. Size: 17.5" × 22.0" (530 × 670 cm). This truly magnificent River area rug is a perfect merger between past and present. It c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Indian Rugs
MaterialsWool
- River Indoor and Outdoor Collection Woven Felt Textured Jaquard Wool Custom RugLocated in Norwalk, CTWoven felt jacquard wool textured custom rug. Custom sizes and colors made-to-order. Perfect for indoor and outdoor spaces, hotels and hospitality. Collection: Easton indoor and ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Indian Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Stone River, Design Rhymes Collection by Mehraban RugsBy Mehraban RugsLocated in WEST HOLLYWOOD, CAStone River is a beautful and eye-catching piece from Mehraban's Design Rhymes collection. This abstract shaped rug is a one of a kind piece designed with irregular black lines that ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Indian Rugs
MaterialsWool
- Modern Contemporary Rug by Spinzi, Hand Made Carpet/Tapestry , Italian ArtistBy SpinziLocated in Milano, ITModern Contemporary Rug , Designer Rug , Modern Tapestry , Artistic Rug , Green “Abstraction” is a series of wool carpets that represents a landscape of lake Como seen through the ...Category
2010s Italian Modern Indian Rugs
MaterialsWool