Kunstmuseum Basel mounts largest European survey of Helen Frankenthaler

The Kunstmuseum Basel has opened the largest exhibition of Helen Frankenthaler's work ever staged in Europe, featuring over 50 paintings spanning six decades. The show argues that the American artist (1928–2011) was as deeply influenced by the Old Masters she encountered during her European travels as by the New York School. Frankenthaler first sailed to Europe in 1953, visiting the Prado daily, and later returned multiple times, annotating guidebooks from the Prado and the Louvre. Highlights include 'Eden' (1956), with its biomorphic forms, and 'Europa' (1957), which abstracts Titian's composition. Archival loans from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, such as annotated guidebooks and a postcard of Titian's 'Rape of Europa' pinned in her studio, contextualize her engagement with art history. The exhibition also features works paying homage to Marie Laurencin and Édouard Manet. On view until August 23.