Palm Springs, Which Sold Its Frankenthaler, Is Doing a Frankenthaler Show

Helen Frankenthaler, Contentment Island, 2002. (c) Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, New York

Last October the Palm Springs Art Museum sold a Helen Frankenthaler painting considered the high point of its collection. This October the museum is doing a show on… Helen Frankenthaler.

The artist's New York-based foundation is lending 30 paintings on paper and canvas to PSAM for "Helen Frankenthaler: Late Works, 1990–2003." It opens Oct. 14, 2021.

Usually artists' foundations try to place art in museum collections where it will be appreciated—that, rather than abetting deaccession for $$$. And if PSAM is interested enough in Frankenthaler to do this show, wouldn't it have made even more sense to keep the painting they sold?