Abstract Expressionist New York: Masterpieces from The Museum of Modern Art opens at AGO tomorrow at 10AM

Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Franz Cline: AbEx features over 100 works from this exciting era in New York history that catapulted modern art in a new direction.

The 1950s was a conservative decade that spawned the American dream of a white picket fence, two kids and a dog or, what I call, the Dick and Jane era. But in the dirty bars of Greenwich village, something else began to brew; beatnik poetry, bebop jazz and a style of abstract painting that was distinctly New York. Many mocked, “This is scribbly shit that my four year old could do!” While critics and collectors, like Peggy Guggenheim, saw the birth of something tremendous. Either way, everyone wished they had bought a Pollock or Rothko before they got big. Shiiiiiiiiiit, that would’ve been nice.

At the AGO until Sept 4, there is no excuse for you to not go see this exhibit at some point this summer. Make an afternoon of it and then go home, stretch out some paper, roll up your sleeves and dribble with friends. Put on some Charlie Parker or Dizzy Gillespie, pour whiskey on the rocks and get messy, abstract-expressionist styles. And mark June 13 in your calendar because Luminato, in partnership with the AGO, presents Spontaneity: A New York State of Mind or a night that will mix the legendary jazz music of the era with the famous art. Misha Glouberman, host of Trampoline Hall lecture series will host this cultural explosion.

1

Mark Rothko (American, born Latvia, 1903-1970)
No. 10. 1950
Oil on canvas
7′ 6 3/8" x 57 1/8" (229.6 x 145.1 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Philip Johnson, 1952 © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Photo credit: The Museum of ModernArt, Department of Imaging Services

2

Jackson Pollock (American, 1912- 1956)
The She-Wolf.1943
Oil, gouache, and plaster on canvas
41 7/8 x 67" (106.4 x 170.2 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase, 1944
© 2011 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Photo credit: The Museum of Modern Art, Department of Imaging Services

3

Willem de Kooning (American, born The Netherlands. 1904 – 1997)
Woman, I. 1950-52
Oil on canvas, 6′ 3 7/8" x 58" (192.7 x 147.3 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase
© 2010 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Photo Credit: The Museum of Modern Art, Department of Imaging Services, John Wronn