Drawing on the UNM Art Museum’s permanent collection, Push & Pull: The Prints of Helen Frankenthaler and Her Contemporaries celebrates abstraction in all print processes. Featuring Modern and contemporary abstract prints and drawings, the exhibition focuses on the works of Helen Frankenthaler and Elaine de Kooning. Displayed alongside their contemporaries, this exhibition demonstrates important collaborations with American publishers such as Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), Tyler Graphics Ltd., and Tamarind Institute.

Printmaking in the United States expanded in the Postwar period. From 1950 onward, the country witnessed the emergence of a model in which artists partnered with workshops to produce prints that relied on close collaboration. Their combined efforts opened avenues for experimentation in both the painter’s studio and the print studio, pushing each medium in exciting new directions.

The exhibition title, Push & Pull, references the compositional strategy developed by Hans Hofmann and used by abstract artists in this exhibition, the rhythm of the printer’s roller as it distributes ink on the slab and printing plate, and the symbiotic relationship between printmakers and painters who shared their expertise and sensibilities with one another.

The Frankenthaler Prints Initiative

This exhibition was made possible through a gift of twenty prints by Helen Frankenthaler as part of Phase II of the Frankenthaler Prints Initiative. As an awardee, UNMAM also received a one-time grant from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation to develop a project or program for the study, presentation, and interpretation of the print editions and proofs.

During the Fall 2024 semester, UNM students enrolled in the course “Abstraction on Paper: Curating Postwar American Prints and Drawings (AHIS 429/529)” helped develop this exhibition. Meeting weekly in the Beaumont Newhall Study Room, students gained familiarity with Postwar American art and American printmaking, learned how to analyze, interpret, and research prints, and worked closely with the museum’s holdings in this period. Their labels and sound pieces are incorporated throughout this exhibition.

In the Fall, UNMAM also issued an open call for students to create works on paper (drawing, prints, photographs) in response to Frankenthaler’s prints for this exhibition. Interested applicants were invited to respond to Frankenthaler’s use of color, philosophy, technique, or materials.

Three students were selected: Adrian Ricca Lucci (BFA student in painting and drawing), Brianna Tadeo (third-year MFA student in photography), and Yoma Wilson (second-year MFA student in printmaking). These students demonstrated a high degree of artistic merit, originality, and engagement with Frankenthaler’s work in meaningful ways. Push & Pull features the artworks created by these students.