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Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler

American · 1928–2011 · Painter, Printmaker

Helen Frankenthaler was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over… (Wikipedia)

$3,720,500≈ £2,798,210≈ €3,067,695Sign uprecord price · incl. premiumOff White SquarePhillips291lots offered2001–2026years recorded94%sold (265)$7.5kSign up free to seemedian price

3 works by Helen Frankenthaler with an auction history (offered more than once) →

Record prices

  1. Off White Square by Helen Frankenthaler, 1973, acrylic on canvas, sold Dec 2020Off White SquarePhillips · $3,720,500≈ £2,798,210≈ €3,067,695Sign up to see
  2. Acres by Helen Frankenthaler, 1959, oil on canvas, sold May 2024AcresPhillips · $3,690,000≈ £2,938,834≈ €3,417,933Sign up to see
  3. Head of the Meadow by Helen Frankenthaler, 1967, acrylic on canvas, sold Jul 2020Head of the MeadowPhillips · $3,020,000≈ £2,414,262≈ €2,675,882Sign up to see

Helen Frankenthaler’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

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  1. Number 1 from the Madrid Series by Helen Frankenthaler, 1958, oil, gouache and ink on paper mounted to board, sold Nov 2013
    Number 1 from the Madrid Series, 1958
    Oil · Paper
    34 x 24 3/4 in. (86.4 x 62.9 cm.)
    Phillips · · Lot 197
    $137,000≈ £86,153≈ €101,995Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $40,000–60,000View at Phillips ↗
  2. Yellow Span by Helen Frankenthaler, 1968, Aquatint in colors, on Richard de Bas Auvergne à la main paper, with full margins,, sold Oct 2013
    Yellow Span, 1968
    Aquatint · Paper · ed. 4/75
    I. 13 3/4 x 18 5/8 in (34.9 x 47.3 cm) S. 19 3/4 x 26 in (50.2 x 66 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 138
    $10,625≈ £6,578≈ €7,708Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $5,000–7,000View at Phillips ↗
  3. Solar Imp by Helen Frankenthaler, 2001, Screenprint in colors, on wove paper, the full sheet,, sold Oct 2013
    Solar Imp, 2001
    Screenprint · Paper · ed. 95/126
    S. 39 1/4 x 29 5/8 in (99.7 x 75.2 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 139
    $6,250≈ £3,869≈ €4,534Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
  4. Madame de Pompadour by Helen Frankenthaler, 1985-90, Lithograph in colors, on Arches Cover paper, the full sheet,, sold Oct 2013
    Madame de Pompadour, 1985-90
    Lithograph · Paper · ed. 40/60
    S. 43 1/4 x 29 3/8 in (109.9 x 74.6 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 140
    $8,750≈ £5,417≈ €6,348Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
  5. Gateway by Helen Frankenthaler, 1988, Etching, relief and aquatint in colors with hand-stenciled margins, on three panels of TGL Handmade paper, the full shee, sold Oct 2013
    Gateway, 1988
    Etching · Panel · ed. 29/30
    all S. 68 3/4 x 29 1/2 in (174.6 x 74.9 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 28
    $56,250≈ £34,825≈ €40,808Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $20,000–30,000View at Phillips ↗
  6. Flotilla by Helen Frankenthaler, 2006, screenprint on paper, sold Sep 2013
    Flotilla, 2006
    Screenprint · Paper
    31 h x 37 w in (79 x 94 cm)
    Wright · · Lot 174
    $4,375≈ £2,728≈ €3,241Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–View at Wright ↗
  7. Sunshine After Rain by Helen Frankenthaler, 1987, Etching, aquatint and drypoint on Fabriano paper, sold May 2013
    Sunshine After Rain, 1987
    Etching · Paper
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 13
    $9,375≈ £6,168≈ €7,294Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $9,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  8. The Red Sea by Helen Frankenthaler, 1978-82, Lithograph in colours, on pink HMP handmade paper, with full margins,, sold Apr 2013
    The Red Sea, 1978-82
    Lithograph · Paper · ed. 35/58
    I. 40 x 52.7 cm (15 3/4 x 20 3/4 in.) S. 61 x 71.1 cm (24 x 28 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 192
    $3,250≈ £2,092≈ €2,478Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–5,000View at Phillips ↗
  9. Southern Exposure by Helen Frankenthaler, 2005, Screenprint in colors on wove paper, sold Apr 2013
    Southern Exposure, 2005
    Screenprint · Paper · ed. 80/128
    sheet 30 1/2 x 37 1/8in (77.5 x 94.3cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 193
    $4,000≈ £2,574≈ €3,050Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
  10. Japanese Maple by Helen Frankenthaler, 2005, Ukiyo-e woodcut printed in 16 colors with nine woodblocks, on Torinoko paper mounted onto Hahnemühle paper, the full she, sold Apr 2013
    Japanese Maple, 2005
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper · ed. AP
    S. 26 x 38 in (66 x 96.5 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 2
    $18,750≈ £12,068≈ €14,299Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $18,000–25,000View at Phillips ↗
Also offered, result not published (8)

Lots by Helen Frankenthaler that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Helen Frankenthaler paintings (28)Helen Frankenthaler oil paintings (5)Helen Frankenthaler acrylic paintings (22)Helen Frankenthaler works on paper (15)Helen Frankenthaler gouaches (3)Helen Frankenthaler prints (230)Helen Frankenthaler etchings (37)Helen Frankenthaler aquatints (11)Helen Frankenthaler lithographs (79)Helen Frankenthaler screenprints (67)Helen Frankenthaler woodcuts & linocuts (16)Helen Frankenthaler sculpture (3)

Helen Frankenthaler signature

146 catalogued lots by Helen Frankenthaler record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (71% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

  • lower right29
  • lower left5
  • in the plate4
  • in the margin1
  • lower centre1
  • on the reverse1

Form

  • signed106
  • signed and dated23
  • signed in pencil16
  • monogrammed1
  • Signed “Frankenthaler” lower right; signed, titled and dated "Frankenthaler 1978 "PALOVERDE"" on the reverse — Paloverde, Phillips, May 19, 2026
  • Signed "frankenthaler" lower right — Untitled, Phillips, Nov 21, 2025
  • Signed and dated "Frankenthaler 80" lower right; signed and dated "14th + 15th March 1980 Frankenthaler" on the reverse — Untitled, Phillips, Jul 16, 2025

Helen Frankenthaler signature: all forms and examples →

About Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades, she spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work. Frankenthaler began exhibiting her large-scale abstract expressionist paintings in contemporary museums and galleries in the early 1950s. She was included in the 1964 Post-Painterly Abstraction exhibition curated by Clement Greenberg that introduced a newer generation of abstract painting that came to be known as color field. Born in Manhattan, she was influenced by Greenberg, Hans Hofmann, and Jackson Pollock's paintings. Her work has been the subject of several retrospective exhibitions, including a 1989 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and been exhibited worldwide since the 1950s. In 2001, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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