For the first time, the internationally acclaimed artist's captivating worlds of color from the Reinhard Ernst Collection can be seen in a major solo exhibition.

The first temporary exhibition of paintings at the Reinhard Ernst Museum pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) in a tour through four decades of her tireless commitment, thus making her dedication to the medium of painting visible.

Frankenthaler's work, her making, is a significant contribution to a decidedly modern understanding of women artists, in which authorship and control were unchallenged in the foreground until the first decades of the 20th century. She took a different path to her male contemporaries, who let the brushstrokes and drops of paint fly in an action-packed manner. With her very own soak-stain, she opened up new spaces for painting.

Today, Helen Frankenthaler is celebrated as a pioneering mediator between action painting and color field painting. She gave American post-war art a decisive turn. Her paintings are characterized by a willingness to take risks: By setting herself no limits in her art-making, Frankenthaler created large-format, free paintings full of radiance. An oeuvre that is still highly relevant today.