Frank Stella – Had Gadya (Illustrations after El Lissitzky)

25th March 2021

Frank Stella Had Gadya

In 1919, Russian avant-garde artist El Lissitzky created a series of gouaches illustrating the traditional Jewish Passover song, Had Gadya (Only Kid). After seeing these artworks in the Tel Aviv Museum in 1981, Stella was fascinated by their movement and vibrancy of the simplified, graphic forms.

Based on these artworks, the Frank Stella Had Gadya print series were created and took two years to complete. The prints were created using a combination of various printmaking techniques – lithography, linoleum block, silkscreen, and rubber relief with collage elements and hand-colouring. The prints were finally published by Waddington Graphics, London, in 1984. After completing the edition, Stella created between two and nine variants of each of the twelve Had Gadya illustrations.

Variants of Frank Stella Had Gadya prints:

Had Gadya': 5. Then came a fire and burnt the stick, 1985 — Had Gadya: 5. Then came a fire and burnt the stick

Had Gadya': 6. Then water came and quenched the fire, 1985 — Had Gadya: 6. Then water came and quenched the fire

Had Gadya': 7. Then came an ox and drank the water, 1985 — Had Gadya: 7. Then came an ox and drank the water

Had Gadya': 8. The butcher came and slew the ox — Had Gadya: 8. The butcher came and slew the ox

Had Gadya': 9. Then came death and took the butcher — Had Gadya: 9. Then came death and took the butcher

Had Gadya': 10. And the Holy One, blessed be He, came and smote — Had Gadya: 10. And the Holy One, blessed be He, came and smote

Had Gadya': B. Had Gadya: Back cover, 1985 — Had Gadya: B. Had Gadya: Back cover

Frank Stella Prints

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