MoMA presents Helen Frankenthaler: A Grand Sweep, a focused installation of five paintings by the artist in the Museum’s Donald and Catherine Marron Family Atrium. On view until 8 February, 2026, the exhibition draws from MoMA’s exceptional collection of Frankenthaler’s work, spanning more than three decades. This marks the artist’s first monographic presentation at the Museum since her 1989 retrospective.

Helen Frankenthaler: A Grand Sweep is organized by Samantha Friedman, Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, with Elizabeth Wickham, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture. “The scale of the Marron Family Atrium allows us to foreground the ambition that defined Frankenthaler’s work,” says Friedman. “This focused group of key works from MoMA’s collection traces the arc of her painting practice, highlighting key moments of continual innovation.”

The installation offers a concise journey through Frankenthaler’s pioneering contributions to postwar American painting, from the 1950s through the 1980s. At its center is Toward Dark (1988), a recent acquisition generously gifted by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, exemplifying the artist’s expressive gestures and bold compositions. Earlier works provide context for this late nocturne: among them, Jacob’s Ladder (1957), which Frankenthaler described as evolving “into shapes symbolic of an exuberant figure and ladder,” inspired by José de Ribera’s Jacob’s Dream (1639) at El Museo Nacional del Prado. Also on view is Chairman of the Board (1971), reflecting the artist’s confident monumentality and compositional ambition. As Frankenthaler recalled, the painting “was about a grand sweep… I had the basic idea in my head, I knew how the lines would dance in. I felt sure of myself.”

This installation invites visitors to explore the depth, evolution, and lasting impact of Frankenthaler’s art. By showcasing her work in one of MoMA’s most dramatic spaces, the Museum emphasizes the scale and ambition that defined her vision.

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Image: Installation view of Helen Frankenthaler: A Grand Sweep on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, from November 18, 2025, through February 8, 2026. Photos by Robert Gerhardt.