Kunsthal KAdE to Present Helen Frankenthaler and Donald Judd in Fall 2026 Exhibition
Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoort will host a fall 2026 exhibition pairing Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) and Donald Judd (1928–1994). Both artists were born in the same year and gained recognition in postwar New York, but their critical fortunes diverged dramatically, particularly in the Netherlands. While Judd's minimalist work was widely exhibited and collected in the Netherlands from the early 1970s onward, Frankenthaler's art and that of her female Abstract Expressionist peers was largely overlooked. Until recently, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam owned just one Frankenthaler print, part of a portfolio of American artists, acquired posthumously. In 2025, the museum added two Frankenthaler paintings to its collection. The exhibition will highlight these contrasting trajectories and the historical neglect of Frankenthaler's contributions in Europe.
Key facts
- Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoort will present the exhibition in fall 2026.
- The exhibition pairs Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) and Donald Judd (1928–1994).
- Both artists were born in 1928 and rose to prominence in postwar New York.
- In the Netherlands, Judd's minimalist work was extensively shown and collected from the early 1970s.
- Frankenthaler's work, along with that of her female Abstract Expressionist peers, was almost completely ignored in the Netherlands.
- Until recently, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam held only a single print by Frankenthaler, acquired after her death.
- In 2025, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam added two Frankenthaler paintings to its holdings.
- The exhibition will explore the radically different levels of success the two artists achieved in Europe, especially in the Netherlands.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Kunsthal KAdE
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Locations
- Amersfoort
- Netherlands
- New York
- United States
- Europe
- Amsterdam