The Marriage of Reason and Squalor
- Date
- 1959
- Material
- Enamel on canvas
- made in
- New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 90 5/8 x 131 3/4 in. (230.2 x 334.6 cm)
framed: 91 1/4 x 132 1/4 x 2 3/4 in. (231.8 x 335.9 x 7 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase and gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Helman and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg
- Rights
- © Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 23:1969
NOTES
With a housepainter’s brush, Frank Stella methodically applied industrial enamel paint to the surface of this canvas. Thick black bands form concentric rectangles cut off along the bottom edge while thin off-white lines reveal unpainted portions of the canvas. The artist used an extra thick stretcher, a novel decision in 1959 that allowed Stella to emphasize that a painting is, in fact, a three-dimensional object. When asked about the content of his austere works such as this, Stella answered, “What you see is what you see,” underscoring the artist’s matter-of-fact, literal approach to painting.
Provenance
- 1968
Lawrence Rubin, New York, NY [1]
1968 - 1969
Joseph A. Helman, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Lawrence Rubin [2]
1969 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchase and gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Helman and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg [3]
Notes:
[1] According to the Saint Louis Art Museum accession record, the painting had been owned by Dr. and Mrs. Frank Stella of Melrose, Massachusetts, from whom Lawrence Rubin acquired the painting.
[2] According to the terms of acquisition for the "Marriage of Reason and Squalor," Joseph Helman and "a partner" made their first payment to Lawrence Rubin on July 10, 1968. The final payment was sent on January 1, 1969 [SLAM document files].
[3] See note [2]. Other than listing "a partner" in the terms of acquisition, there is no reference to anyone other than the Helmans until the Museum acquired the object from both Mr. and Mrs. Helman and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg in 1969 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, April 7, 1969.
Lawrence Rubin, New York, NY [1]
1968 - 1969
Joseph A. Helman, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Lawrence Rubin [2]
1969 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchase and gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Helman and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg [3]
Notes:
[1] According to the Saint Louis Art Museum accession record, the painting had been owned by Dr. and Mrs. Frank Stella of Melrose, Massachusetts, from whom Lawrence Rubin acquired the painting.
[2] According to the terms of acquisition for the "Marriage of Reason and Squalor," Joseph Helman and "a partner" made their first payment to Lawrence Rubin on July 10, 1968. The final payment was sent on January 1, 1969 [SLAM document files].
[3] See note [2]. Other than listing "a partner" in the terms of acquisition, there is no reference to anyone other than the Helmans until the Museum acquired the object from both Mr. and Mrs. Helman and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg in 1969 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, April 7, 1969.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.