Elaine de Kooning · Bacchus Series

Original Paintings · Custom Framing by Harlem Frames · 2026

Harlem Frames was entrusted with the framing of original paintings from Elaine de Kooning's celebrated Bacchus series, preparing the works for their presentation by Olney Gleason at Independent 20th Century in New York.

Working directly with these significant original paintings called for a careful and restrained approach—one that respected the physical character of each work while allowing de Kooning's extraordinary color, gesture, and movement to remain at the center of the presentation.

The Bacchus Series

Created between 1976 and 1983, Bacchus became one of de Kooning's most sustained bodies of work.

(Image courtesy of Olney Gleason)

The series originated with her studies of a 19th-century bronze sculpture of Bacchus in Paris's Jardin du Luxembourg. Fascinated by how the twisting figure appeared to change as she moved around it, de Kooning repeatedly sketched the sculpture from different perspectives. Those observations eventually developed into a series of paintings in which the figure emerges and dissolves through energetic fields of color and sweeping gesture.

The resulting works capture what makes de Kooning's painting so distinctive: movement, immediacy, and a constant tension between figuration and abstraction.

Framed in Harlem

Harlem Frames custom framed the original Bacchus works with close attention to their scale, surfaces, edges, condition, and individual presentation requirements.

With historically significant artwork, the framing process is as much about restraint as design. Each work was handled and fitted with precision, with the goal of creating a professional exhibition presentation without competing with the paintings themselves.

Being entrusted with original works of this caliber is a responsibility we take seriously. From their arrival in our studio through final fitting, every stage was approached with the care and professionalism these paintings require.

The frame provides the structure. De Kooning's paintings provide the energy.

From Harlem Frames to Independent 20th Century

The completed works were presented by Olney Gleason at Independent 20th Century, held September 24–27, 2026 at The Breuer in New York.

For Harlem Frames, seeing the paintings move from our worktables to their finished exhibition setting completed the process—and offered the privilege of contributing, through framing, to the presentation of an extraordinary body of work.

Artist: Elaine de Kooning (1918–1989)
Series: Bacchus, 1976–1983
Presentation: Olney Gleason · Independent 20th Century
Framing: Harlem Frames
Artwork: © Elaine de Kooning Trust