Marriage of Reason and Squalor from Black Series I

1967

Frank Stella

Associated Names
Frank Stella

Artist, American, 1936 - 2024

Kenneth Tyler

Printer, American, born 1931

Gemini G.E.L.

Publisher

The image shows black and white lines forming concentric rectangular patterns, separated into two sections, each containing nested rectangles. The design resembles a labyrinth or maze, with a hypnotic visual effect created by the repetitive geometric shapes. The rectangles suggest a series of doorways or corridors leading inward. The symmetry and simplicity of the shapes emphasize order and precision within the composition.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    one from a portfolio of nine lithographs on wove J. Barcham Green paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Benjamin B. Smith

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 38 x 57.7 cm (14 15/16 x 22 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1985.47.199.4

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Axsom 1983, no. 7

  • Series Title

    Black I

Associated Artworks

See all 9 artworks
The image displays two sets of symmetrical, parallel black lines creating abstract rectangular shapes. These patterns form a series of nested, right-angled lines. The design uses negative space effectively, with light background contrasting against dark lines.

Club Onyx—Seven Steps from Black Series I

Frank Stella, Kenneth Tyler, Octavio Pereira, Gemini G.E.L.

1967

This print displays a series of angular lines arranged in a rectangle near the bottom left corner of a piece of off-white paper. The lines are in white against a dark background, and they divide the space into four quadrants. The lines all bend toward a central point in the middle of these quadrants, creating the impression of two diagonal lines.

Arbeit Macht Frei (Work will Set You Free) from Black Series I

Frank Stella, James Webb, Gemini G.E.L.

1967

The image shows a series of concentric, evenly spaced, white lines forming an abstract rectangular pattern against a black background. The lines are positioned on the left side of a light beige canvas.

Clinton Plaza from Black Series I

Frank Stella, Kenneth Tyler, Gemini G.E.L.

1967

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Benjamin B. Smith, Beverly Hills, California; acquired 1985 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2006

  • The Art of Collaboration: Works from the National Gallery of Art's Gemini G.E.L. Archive, Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland, 2006-2007.

2015

  • The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L., National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California, 2015-2017.

Bibliography

1966

  • Gemini G.E.L. Sequence List. Los Angeles, California: Gemini G.E.L., unpublished, no. 51.

1983

  • Axsom, Richard H. The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1967-1982. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1983, no. 7.

2011

  • Ritchie, Charles. Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2011, no. 51.17. http://www.nga.gov/gemini

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: 20/100 F.Stella 67; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: 67-132

Markings

embossed lower right: © [Gemini G.E.L.]; stamped lower left verso in gray ink: Gemini G.E.L. / Los Angeles, Calif.

Wikidata ID

Q74069097

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