A First for the Netherlands

Beach Scene is an expressive and monumental canvas from the early 1960s, the period in which Frankenthaler achieved major international recognition. In this work she employs her distinctive “soak-stain” technique, allowing thinned paint to seep into unprimed canvas. Expanses of yellow, blue, red, and black form a composition that hovers between abstraction and a figurative evocation of sea and shore. For Frankenthaler, painting was never about depicting something concrete, but about conjuring an experience. 

Ten years later she created Hommage à H.M., a restrained yet expansive work. Here, areas of color are pushed to the edges of the canvas and connected by thin black lines. Frankenthaler relies on her fluid approach to painting, resulting in a bright and rhythmic composition. The work was made shortly after Frankenthaler’s travels through Morocco in 1970, where she drew inspiration from decorative motifs in architecture and textiles. The title pays tribute to Henri Matisse who was similarly inspired by a trip to Morocco nearly sixty years before. The result is a serene homage to color, form, and light. 

“These two paintings are a profoundly meaningful addition to our collection,” says Rein Wolfs, Director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. “We hold a strong representation of postwar American art, but it is largely dominated by male artists such as Rothko, Newman, De Kooning, and Motherwell. The absence of Helen Frankenthaler was deeply felt. This donation aligns seamlessly with our ambition to give greater visibility to women artists who have long been overlooked. Works of this historic significance are now nearly impossible to acquire. We are therefore immensely grateful to the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation for this extraordinarily generous gift.” 

“Committed to fostering engagement with Helen Frankenthaler's legacy across the globe as part of our mission to support public understanding of the visual arts, the Foundation is delighted that these paintings have found new homes in such a significant context as the Stedelijk with its noted collection of 20th and 21st century art,” states Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. “It has been gratifying to support the museum’s interest in acquiring major works by Frankenthaler, aligning with growing awareness in Europe of her work’s art historical significance and continued relevance for current and recent art practice.”