Madinat as-Salam III
- Date
- 1971
- Material
- Acrylic on canvas
- possibly made in
- New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
- associated with
- Baghdad, Baghdad governorate, Iraq, Asia
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 244
- Dimensions
- 120 in. x 25 ft. (304.8 x 762 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg
- Rights
- © 2013 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 250:1975
NOTES
Composed of joined and overlapping half circles, Madinat as-Salam III is one of the largest works from Frank Stella’s Protractor series. Its title is the historic name of Baghdad, Iraq, which was founded in 762 as a walled city laid out on a circular plan. The painting’s imposing size and unusual shape make the viewer aware of it as a physical object, and its vibrant, kaleidoscopic palette of 49 distinct colors demonstrates Stella’s interest in optical effects.
Provenance
c.1971 -
Leo Castelli, New York, NY, representing the artist
- 1975
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg, St. Louis, MO, purchased from the Leo Castelli Gallery [1]
1975 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg, St. Louis, MO [2]
Notes:
[1] E-mail dated November 26, 2007 from Courtney E. Flynn of the Greenberg Van Doren Gallery to Robin Clark, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art [SLAM document files]. Flynn refers to a conversation with Ronald K. Greenberg in which he confirmed that after the work left the Leo Castelli Gallery it came into the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg at an unknown date. According to Greenberg and Flynn, the work was then purchased from the Greenbergs by the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1975.
[2] See note [1]. Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 18, 1975.
Leo Castelli, New York, NY, representing the artist
- 1975
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg, St. Louis, MO, purchased from the Leo Castelli Gallery [1]
1975 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg, St. Louis, MO [2]
Notes:
[1] E-mail dated November 26, 2007 from Courtney E. Flynn of the Greenberg Van Doren Gallery to Robin Clark, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art [SLAM document files]. Flynn refers to a conversation with Ronald K. Greenberg in which he confirmed that after the work left the Leo Castelli Gallery it came into the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Greenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Greenberg, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Greenberg at an unknown date. According to Greenberg and Flynn, the work was then purchased from the Greenbergs by the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1975.
[2] See note [1]. Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 18, 1975.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.