Large Frank Stella Attributed Painting on Board

In 1969, Frank Stella was awarded the commission for the Metropolitan Museum's Centennial logo. The logo design was called the "Centennial M" and was a design after his Kufa Gate work which was part of his Protractor Series of work. The main distinction between the Protractor Kufa Gate and the Centennial M is the number of arches, seven vs. eight on each side, and of course the colors. In addition to the posters designed for the centennial celebration, The Metropolitan Museum had 14 of the Centennial M's made on plywood to camoflage a construction fence along 5th Avenue. These pieces measured 82" x 82". At the end of the Centennial the plywood art pieces were donated or given away to patrons. donors and others. Currently one is in the Stanley Marcus collection and another is owned by the Vladimir Kagan family.
 
The work of art in this listing includes the eight arches as per the Centennial M. Beneath the black paint we have expertly determined that it has the Centennial M blue paint so it has been painted over in certain areas. All areas not in black are identical in color to the Centennial M. In addition the work is more complex as it is inlaid wood separating the arches and along the borders as opposed to paint applied directly on plywood. This piece measures 72" x 72". It is our theory that this work of art may have been an experimental piece or a model presented to the Metropolitan but deemed too complex and costly for an edition of 14 and was therefore edited so as not to infringe on the Metropolitan Centennial M logo.Large Frank Stella