Frank Stella: Paintings 1958 to 1965: A Catalogue Raisonne

Stella's paintings of interlocking vectors and parallel stripes in crazy right-angled patterns loom like cold iconsindestructible, aloof hieroglyphs that stand outside of time and space. The aura of the chic gallery artist still clings to this abstractionist, but Rubin's catalogue, with reproductions of 255 paintings (half in color), shows that he is no ivory-tower formalist, at least not all the time. His Moroccan Paintings glitter with oriental patterning; the moody Black Paintings (1958-1960) were a forerunner of minimalism; he achieved unusual effects in varied media ranging from burglar-alarm tape to metallic paint, as in the Aluminum Paintings, which seem closer to sculpture. The early canvases, with titles like Them Apples, Mary Lou Loves Frank, Zara and Your Lips Are Blue, are funky and fun. (October)