Arundel Castle from Black Series I

1967

Frank Stella

Associated Names
Frank Stella

Artist, American, 1936 - 2024

James Webb

Printer, American, active late 20th century

Gemini G.E.L.

Publisher

The image shows a series of parallel black lines forming a geometric pattern, consisting of two adjacent U-shaped designs mirrored vertically. The composition resembles two labyrinths or simplified top-down views of amphitheaters, with the lines radiating from a smaller central square to the rectangular perimeter. The order and repetition of the lines evoke the appearance of contour lines on a map or a barcode, while the negative space on the right highlights the linear arrangement on the left side.

Media Options

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.
Not on view See artworks now on view

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

    1985.47.199.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Axsom 1983, no. 5

  • 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

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. 49.

1983

  • Axsom, Richard H. The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1967-1982. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1983, no. 5.

2011

  • Ritchie, Charles. Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2011, no. 51.15. http://www.nga.gov/gemini

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: 77/100 F. Stella '67; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: 67-130

Markings

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

Wikidata ID

Q74069090

You may be interested in

Loading Results