This fall, Helen Frankenthaler’s large-scale painting Code Blue returns from New York, where it was included in the Gagosian exhibition Helen Frankenthaler: The Moment and the Distance. Celebrate the return of this beloved part of the KIA’s permanent collection with a screening of The Eye is the First Circle. Inspired by Mary Gabriel’s bestseller Ninth Street Women, this 2022 documentary centers the work of Frankenthaler and her female contemporaries — Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Lee Krasner — who broke new ground in the field of Abstract Expressionism despite the marginalization they faced in mid-20th century America. The Eye is the First Circle was created by Schler Productions in partnership with PBS12 (Denver), and has a run time of 56 minutes.
Preregistration is encouraged. Find out why.
In the event that a program is modified, postponed, or cancelled, we reach out via email to all who have preregistered. If a significant change is made on short notice, your preregistration helps to ensure that you get the word from us in the most timely manner possible.
Registering for programs in advance also helps our staff to assess set-up needs beforehand, reducing the need for last-minute adjustments to numbers of chairs, tables, etc. Further, it streamlines the check-in process when you arrive and allows us to keep you in the loop about other upcoming programs that might be of interest!