Motherwell and Frankenthaler spend the month of June in Venice where Frankenthaler is one of the artists representing the United States at the Venice Biennale.
In July, Motherwell and Frankenthaler return to Provincetown.
On July 25, Frank O’Hara dies from injuries sustained when a car struck him in on the beach at Fire Island. Motherwell and Frankenthaler attend his funeral in Sag Harbor.
In August, Motherwell oversees the installation of New England Elegy (P366) in the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in Boston. It immediately creates a public furor when a rumor spreads that the painting is a depiction of the assassination of Kennedy. Public statements from Motherwell notwithstanding, the controversy only dies down following the release of a statement from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in support of Motherwell’s abstract mural.
