Christo visits Frank Stella?

Observant passers-by in George Street, Sydney may have noticed the three giant Frank Stella artworks in the lobby of Grosvenor Place are currently swathed in plastic. No, Christo has not been in town. But we have been wrapping the artworks, so as to protect them whilst the floor is re-laid.

Entitled "Pillars and Cones" these three paintings are part of a series that Stella created between 1984 and 1987. These three were specially acquired for Grosvenor Place by Harry Seidler, the building’s architect.

They were painted in New York using oil paint on magnesium, an effect that allowed the surface to be etched and provide a distinctive sculptural quality, and were then shipped to Australia. Unfortunately during or after shipping the container they were in was partially filled with water, causing a major breakdown of the paint adhesion to the magnesium (and a court case resulting).
They remain the most prominent examples of Stella’s work in Australia. Stella was born in 1936, and remains one of the most significant post –war American painters who are still working.

Have a look next time you are near Circular Quay.

Julian