A pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, artist Lee Krasner’s pivotal role in that movement and her exceptional contributions to it were largely overshadowed by those of her male contemporaries — in particular, Jackson Pollock, whom she married in 1945.
Lee Krasner was born Lena Krassner in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian-Jewish refugee parents. She attended the Women’s Art School of Cooper Union and the esteemed National Academy of Design, graduating in 1932 during the height of the Great Depression. Krasner supported herself as a model and cocktail waitress until 1934, when she began painting murals for the Works Progress Administration, which kept her steadily employed until the agency closed in 1943. During that time, Krasner studied under Hans Hofmann and became a fixture on the New York art scene, joining the American Abstract Artists and the Artists Union.
A World War II–era commission had Krasner overseeing the creation of 19 pro-war store window displays in New York City. She recruited a handful of artists she dubbed her “misfits” for the project. Among them were Willem de Kooning and Pollock.
Throughout their 11-year marriage, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner had an indelible influence on each other. While he painted in the bright, expansive barn studio, she worked in a small bedroom, where she produced her “Little Images” series, small-scale works loaded with paint, today considered among her most important contributions to Abstract Expressionism.
Lee Krasner’s art includes rich mosaics, Cubist drawings, assemblages and the epochal collages she produced in 1954–55, which incorporated scraps from her and Pollock’s discarded work and echoed the striking palettes of Matisse, one of her heroes. Krasner’s collages remain among her most celebrated pieces.
After Pollock’s death in 1956, Krasner moved into his barn studio, where she created large-scale paintings, including the 17-foot-wide The Seasons. She had her long-overdue first solo exhibition at London’s Whitechapel Gallery in 1965, and her second in 1975 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Those and other major solo exhibitions finally brought her the recognition she deserved for her contributions to the art world.
In 1978, Krasner was given her rightful place next to the likes of Mark Rothko, de Kooning and Pollock in the Whitney’s exhibition “Abstract Expressionism: The Formative Years.” Her U.S. retrospective opened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 1983 and ended at the Museum of Modern Art in New York after her death in 1984.
Lee Krasner’s paintings continue to be in high demand. In 2019, her 1960 work The Eye Is the First Circle sold at auction for $11.7 million, breaking her 2017 auction record of $5.5 million.
Find a collection of Lee Krasner art on 1stDibs.
Water No. 5 - Post War Abstract Gouache on Paper, 1969
By Lee Krasner
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Water No. 5" is an abstract gouache on howell paper painting by Lee Krasner in 1969. The artwork is 12 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches and is 18 1/4 x 15 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches with the frame, weigh...
Paper, Gouache
$1,680Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 40 in D 0.25 in
Abstract Expressionist Original Gouache on paper Collage style of de Kooning
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Expressionist Original Gouache on paper and Collage Abstract Gouache and Paper Collage by Harold Winer (American, 1913-2006). Image 30"H x 40"W Slat with white paint .25" ...
Gouache, Illustration Board, Laid Paper
$1,350Sale Price|40% Off
H 33 in W 41.5 in D 1.25 in
Abstract Expressionist Composition with Stairs in Gouache and Ink on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Expressionist Composition with Stairs in Gouache and Ink on Paper Bold abstract composition by Pacific Northwest artist Karen Guzak (American, b. 1939). A large, dark blue ...
Ink, Gouache, Handmade Paper
$3,900
H 36.23 in W 27.56 in D 1.58 in
1963 Mid-Century Abstract Modern Painting Signed By Ferdinand Spindel. Textured
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
This abstract painting by German artist Ferdinand Spindel exemplifies post-war European abstraction, where texture is as important as colour and comp...
Oil, Wood Panel, Mixed Media
Solitude, Inoue Yuichi, Ink on Paper, 1978 (#021124)
By Yuichi Inoue
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
YU-ICHI (1916-1985) Solitude Ink on Japanese paper Japan, 1978 122 x 181 cm Catalogue Raisonné No. 78032 YU-ICHI (1916-1985) is one of the most important Japanese artists of the 20...
Paper, Ink
$1,920Sale Price|40% Off
H 39.25 in W 49.75 in D 1.5 in
Hidden in the Flowers - Abstract Bird in Acrylic on Threaded Paper
By Judith W Winslow
Located in Soquel, CA
Hidden in the Flowers - Abstract Bird in Acrylic on Threaded Paper Multicolored abstract composition by Judith W Winslow (JW) (American, 1943-2023). A bird with white feathers is pa...
Acrylic, Satin Paper, Pen
$3,900Sale Price|40% Off
H 60 in W 96 in D 1.5 in
Assemblage with Checkerboard on Canvas, Abstract, Oil on Canvas, 2010
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Large-scale abstract assemblage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of his work. Unframed. Circa 2010. Canvas size...
Canvas, Oil, Polystyrene, Wood, Paper, Stretcher Bars
$850
H 49.25 in W 57.75 in D 1 in
"Birth of a Totem Nos. II-VI", Post-War Oil on Canvas, circa 1970
Located in Astoria, NY
Walter Gaudnek (Czech, 1931-2022), "Birth of a Totem Nos. II-VI", Oil on Canvas, circa 1970, signed lower right, titled verso, unframed. 49.25" H x 57.75" W x 1" D. Provenance: Fro...
Canvas, Oil
forget, Shiryu Morita, 1964 (#000881)
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
Shiryu Morita (1912-1998) forget 1964 Ink on paper, mounted on board in frame 32,2 (37) x 45,5 (50) cm Title, signature and seal on label on plate (bac...
Paper, Ink
$28,990
H 13 in W 23.63 in
Circular movement / free unimpeded movement, Shiryu Morita, 1964 (#000107)
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
Shiryu Morita (1912-1998) Circular movement / free unimpeded movement 1964 Ink on paper, mounted on board 33 x 60 cm Title, signature and seal on label ...
Paper, Ink
$485
H 9.75 in W 7.75 in D 2 in
A Unique Abstract Surrealist Wall Assemblage, Chicago Imagist Tradition
Located in Chicago, IL
A Unique, Unusual and Striking 1999 Abstract Surrealist Wall Assemblage Painting in the Chicago Imagist Tradition by Notable Artist, Stanley Dean Edwards (Am. Born 1941). Titled "The Dude with the Ball Bearing Eyes...", the assemblage is a diminutive, mixed media collage composition of found objects and acrylic on board in a hand painted shadowbox frame. Shows a unique synthesis of Post-War Surrealist influences, including the avant-garde Italian artist Enrico Baj and the Chicago Imagist school, including H.C. Westermann and others experimenting with assemblage and the integration of inanimate objects. Artwork size: 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches. Signed and dated "Edwards 1999" on the reverse; inscribed with the title "The Dude with the ball bearing eyes, tipped you a $20 and stared into the emptyness of his own night". Provenance: The Artist; Private Collection, Chicago, IL (circa 2010). Born 1941 in Joliet, Illinois, Stanley Dean Edwards moved to Chicago early in life to pursue his life as an artist. His mother was a Chicago public school teacher, and his father was a Methodist minister. He studied painting and design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), receiving a BFA in 1967. While at SAIC, Edwards was influenced by Vera Berdich's printmaking classes and Daniel Massen's design classes. After a brief stay in New York (1967-1970), where he was profoundly shaken by urban rioting and general upheaval of this time, Edwards returned to Chicago and later set up a studio in the Pilsen Neighborhood. Edwards is primarily a figurative painter whose work is informed by both Surrealism and Constructivism. Early hard-edge paintings from the mid-1960's feature a series of screaming babies set in brightly colored environments. These works offer religious suggestions, as the infants are paired with ecclesiastical figures presented atop an altar. Other protagonists of his series include dogs and faceless men. (1) In the early 1960's, Stan Edwards was part of a diverse group of artists that included George Kokines, Ray Siemanowski, Michael Hurson and Peter Holbrook among others. These artists and Edwards were part of that decade's vanguard and their work was included in an exhibition titled, "Twelve Chicago Artists" at the Walker Art Center. The curator was Jan Van der Marck. Edwards called his paintings of babies, dogs and erotic torsos from that period "image painting" because they were taken not from the model stand but cast off photo images. One painting from this period, Infant in Altar IV, is a 60" x 60" an oil and acrylic painting and was loaned by the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian to the Museum of Contemporary Art for its fifty year retrospective titled, "Art in Chicago, 1945 to 1995." The painting is part of the Martha Jackson memorial collection at the National Museum of American Art. (2.) Recent paintings, which Edwards calls "Icons for a New Era: Assembled Art Imagery," feature iconic images composed of items from popular culture; witty titles often allude to the materials from which they were made. The found objects, vibrant colors, and slick presentations of his works indicate their relationship to and a continuation of Pop art. Both humorous and sinister, Edwards' paintings reflect the psychological uneasiness associated with the close of the twentieth century. (3.) One painting of this series titled Surveyor is a 66" x 60" oil and acrylic painting and appears in the book Humor in Art by Nicholas Roukes, published by Davis Inc. The book is widely used as a text for art and design projects. (4.) In October of 2002 Edwards presented a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Illinois Institute of Art where he taught art and design in the foundation program. His lecture and exhibition were presented as part of "Chicago Artist's Month" sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Chicago. In 2004 Edwards completed a major commission for the new Veterans' Administration building in Chicago. The commission centered on patriotic themes and one large 6 and 1/2' x 10' painting is dedicated to prisoners of war. Five others are 48" x 48" and depict the military branch seals, and four paintings 32" x 32" are based on 19th century patriotic engravings. Stan Edwards, who retired from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2009, lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Sources: (2. & 4.) Press release (1. & 3.) "Art in Chicago 1945 1995, MCA.) COLLECTIONS: Selected corporate & institutional collections National Museum of American Art/Smithsonian Corcoran Gallery of Art Ceco Corporation Crain Communications Thrall Railcar Company American Hospital Association Plyzynski & Associates, Inc. NYC North American Jet Corporation Ball State University Illinois Institute of Art at Chicago State University of New York Harris Bank & Trust Dallas Theater Center Electronic Media Magazine Johnson Controls Central National Bank of Cleveland Associates Commercial Corporation Corporate Art Source Veterans' Administration Commission, Chicago, 2004 Ten site specific paintings Siemens Corporation COLLECTIONS: Selected private collections Walter & Dawn Clark Netsch Beatrice "Buddy" Mayer Douglas Ross Larry Aronson Marc & Ilana Platt Phil & Joan Krone Craig & Janet Duchossois Sally Fairweather Shirley Hardin Brian Boyer Pritzker collection James Speyer collection Michael Greany Ed & Lindy Bergman Collection Leigh Block Collection Professor Harold Platt Professors Lew Erenberg & Susan Hirsch Dr. David Gross Professor Mihaly Csiksentmihalyi Dr. Paula Young Dr. & Mrs. Imre Hidvegi EXHIBITIONS: Selected exhibitions Biennial Drawing Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, 1962 Momentum II, Lexington Hall, University of Chicago, 1964 The Sunken City Rises, Hermann Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology,1964 Eye on Chicago, Hermann Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1964 29th Corcoran Biennial, 1965, Washington, D.C. Inaugural exhibition, Fairweather-Hardin, 1965 Society for Contemporary Art, Art Institute of Chicago, 1965 12 Chicago Painters...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
Infinity Field (Jerusalem Series)
By Theodoros Stamos
Located in Austin, TX
Waterline Fine Art, Austin, TX is pleased to present the following work: Acrylic on canvas. Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed verso. 68 x 50 in. 69.5 x 51.75 in. (framed) Custom framed in a maple floater with a matte white finish. Provenance Camillos Kouros Gallery, New York Private Collection, New York Theodoros Stamos is heralded as one of the few abstract painters who bridged the New York School’s first and second generations. His age, in particular, afforded him this unique position, as he was the youngest member of the “Irascibles,” the core group of fifteen New York School painters publicized by Nina Leen...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,550
H 25.25 in W 34.75 in D 0.25 in
Abstract Expressionist Original Watercolor on Paper style of de Kooning
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Expressionist Original Watercolor on Paper style of de Kooning Abstract Watercolor titled "Lands End" by Harold Winer (American, 1913-2006). Bright and bold colors of a Fl...
Illustration Board, Laid Paper, Watercolor