What does FrankStel

What does #FrankStella have in common with wooden synagogues destroyed during WWII? In 1970, the US architect Richard Meier gave Stella a copy of ‘Wooden Synagogues’, a book published in 1959 of shuls erased from the European landscape during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The images inspired the Italian-American artist to create over 100 abstract works – now known as his ‘Polish Village’ series – based on the synagogues’ intricate, geometric systems of gables, cupolas, and spires. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ‘Grodno I’ (1973), presented by @MarianneBoeskyGallery at #ArtBasel2019, combines felt, paint, and other media to give an impression of depth and relief – a trompe-l’oeil effect that characterizes the series. The ‘Polish Villages' thus mark the artist's shift into three-dimensionality, a key turning point in Stella’s practice that continues to define his artistic output today. #artbasel