Thomas Micchelli considers Frank Stella's early and new work on view in two exhibitions Frank Stella: Black, Aluminum and Copper Paintings at L&M Arts (through June 2, 2012) and Frank Stella: New Work at Freedman Art (through September 27, 2012).

Micchelli writes that Stella's assertion 'What you see is what you see' is a comment on the obvious. And its visual correlative – stark black enamel stripes arranged in a predetermined symmetrical pattern – is the work of a precocious smart aleck… demonstrating the true condition of the art form. Stella's attention-getting tactics aside, it is astonishing that what he was doing then – which was received as both ultra-radical and instantly blue-chip… feels as of-the-moment as his most recent work… Which, for an artist who’s just turned 76, is a feat in itself."