Frank P. Stella ’58

Frank died May 4, 2024, in New York City. He was 87.

He came to Princeton from Phillips Andover Academy, where he was active in art, wrestling, and lacrosse.

At Princeton, Frank majored in history, competed on the varsity wrestling and lacrosse teams, and was probably the most original art editor in the history of the Nassau Lit. He was a member of Elm Club, where he played goalie on the club hockey team.

With a career spanning more than 60 years, Frank left behind a trailblazing legacy that reoriented the North American arts landscape and defied any strict characterizations of his work as it evolved across concepts and media. He made his art-world debut at the age of 23 with his Black Paintings series (1958–1960), which was included in the Museum of Modern Art exhibition “Sixteen Americans” alongside the work of artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, Jasper Johns, and Jay DeFeo. Frank’s work can be found in major art museums across the country, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, which hosted the Museum of Modern Art of Fort Worth’s traveling retrospective for him in 2015; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Princeton gave him an honorary doctor of fine arts degree in 1984.

Frank is survived by his wife, Harriet McGurk; five children; and five grandchildren. The class extends its deepest sympathy to them all.