Saint Louis Art Museum: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940

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Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940–1976 is the first major U.S. exhibition to reconsider Abstract Expressionism in over 20 years. Action/Abstraction features over 50 key works from major institutions and collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. Action/Abstraction is not an expansive survey, but a highly focused, thesis-driven exhibition that features key works by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, as well as Helen Frankenthaler, Arshile Gorky, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, Jasper Johns, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis, Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, David Smith, Frank Stella, and Clyfford Still among many others. Action/Abstraction looks at the Abstract Expressionist movement and its legacy through the lens of Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg.

Viewed from the perspective of influential, rival art critics Greenberg and Rosenberg, the works in this focused and highly selective exhibition present a fresh look at the painting and sculpture that transformed the art world in the years following the Second World War—a period when abstraction emerged as a dominant means of artistic expression.

Pollock Number 3

Beginning in the 1940s, Pollock and de Kooning created paintings and sculptures that catapulted American art onto the international stage. In magazines as diverse as Partisan Review, The Nation, ARTnews, and Vogue, Greenberg and Rosenberg wrote incisively about seismic changes in the art world, often disagreeing with each other vehemently. Their advocacy propelled the artists and their art to the forefront of the public imagination, and by the late 1950s, Pollock and de Kooning were virtually household names. Their reputations were cast not only in the rarified milieu of the New York art world, but also were well-known in the popular culture, thanks to the reach of television and publications such as Life magazine.

Numbers in Color

Against a background of Cold War politics, rising mass culture, and growing consumerism, Rosenberg championed the concept of action—the creative act of the artist—versus the ideal purity of a non-representational aesthetic defended by Greenberg. Action/Abstraction presents great works of art in order to re-examine how these critics' theories vied with each other and with the intentions of the artists, who nevertheless remained keenly aware of the critics' perspectives and were often influenced by them.

The exhibition starts with the titanic figures of Pollock and de Kooning and unfolds with an exploration of painting and sculpture by their peers, as well as younger generations of artists who responded to their example and to the critical frameworks created by Greenberg and Rosenberg. The exhibition is presented thematically rather than chronologically and is complemented by a rich selection of contextual materials.

Red, Orange, Orange on Red

Action/Abstraction is on view in the Main Exhibition Galleries October 19, 2008, through January 11, 2009. The Saint Louis Art Museum's presentation of Action/Abstraction features works on view exclusively at the St. Louis venue: Jackson Pollock's Number 3, 1950 (1950), Mark Rothko's Red, Orange, Orange on Red (1962), and Willem de Kooning's Woman II (1952) from the Museum of Modern Art, New York. This groundbreaking exhibition brings many masterworks to St. Louis for the first time.

The exhibition has been organized by The Jewish Museum, New York in collaboration with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo and the St. Louis Art Museum. Leadership support has been provided by the Weissman Family Foundation, The National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation. The exhibition is sponsored by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

ACTION/ABSTRACTION CATALOGUE

Action Abstraction Catalogue

A 332-page catalogue co-published by
The Jewish Museum, New York, and Yale University Press accompanies the exhibition Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940–1976.

Drawing on recent critical, historical, and biographical work, the lavishly illustrated catalogue was edited by organizing curator Norman Kleeblatt, Chief Curator, Jewish Museum, and includes essays by Saint Louis Art Museum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Charlotte Eyerman and other leading scholars.

The catalogue is available in the Saint Louis Art Museum Shop and through the online store.

Click Here to Learn More >>

ATTENDING THE EXHIBITION

Action Abstraction Catalogue

Admission is free to Members every day and free to all on Fridays. Otherwise, admission to the exhibition is $6 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, $4 for children 6 to 12, and free for children younger than 6.

Tickets to Action/Abstraction are available at the Information Center located in the Museum's Sculpture Hall. Tickets are also available at all MetroTix locations. Charge by phone at 314.534.1111 or online at www.metrotix.com.

Member presale begins October 7. Metrotix presale begins October 10. Tickets for the general public go on sale October 15.

Admission includes an iPod multimedia tour for visitors 12 and older. A major credit card is required. The iPod tour is $2 on Fridays when the exhibition is free and free to members every day.

Click Here to Learn More >>

PICTURED WORKS OF ART
(top to bottom)

Action Abstraction Catalogue

David Smith, American, 1906–1965; Cubi XIV, 1963; stainless steel; 125 1/2 x 78 x 30 3/4 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Friends Fund 32:1979; Art © Estate of David Smith / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Jackson Pollock, American, 1912–1956; Number 3, 1950, 1950; oil, enamel, and aluminum paint on fiberboard; 48 x 96 1/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Partial and promised gift of Emily Rauh Pulitzer in honor of Joseph Pulitzer Jr. 1:2001; © 2008 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Jasper Johns, American, born 1930; Numbers in Color, 1958–1959; encaustic and newspaper on canvas; 66 1/2 x 49 1/2 inches; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y., Gift of Seymour H. Knox Jr., 1959; Art © Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Mark Rothko, American (born Russia), 1903–1970; Red, Orange, Orange on Red, 1962; oil on canvas; 91 3/4 x 80 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Funds given by the Shoenberg Foundation, Inc. 129:1966; © 2008 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1380

Telephone 314.721.0072

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	*Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940–1976* is the first major U.S. exhibition to reconsider Abstract Expressionism in over 20 years. Action/Abstraction features over 50 key works from major institutions and collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. Action/Abstraction is not an expansive survey, but a highly focused, thesis-driven exhibition that features key works by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, as well as Helen Frankenthaler, Arshile Gorky, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, Jasper Johns, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis, Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, David Smith, Frank Stella, and Clyfford Still among many others. Action/Abstraction looks at the Abstract Expressionist movement and its legacy through the lens of Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg. Viewed from the perspective of influential, rival art critics Greenberg and Rosenberg, the works in this focused and highly selective exhibition present a fresh look at the painting and sculpture that transformed the art world in the years following the Second World War—a period when abstraction emerged as a dominant means of artistic expression. Beginning in the 1940s, Pollock and de Kooning created paintings and sculptures that catapulted American art onto the international stage. In magazines as diverse as Partisan Review, The Nation, ARTnews, and Vogue, Greenberg and Rosenberg wrote incisively about seismic changes in the art world, often disagreeing with each other vehemently. Their advocacy propelled the artists and their art to the forefront of the public imagination, and by the late 1950s, Pollock and de Kooning were virtually household names. Their reputations were cast not only in the rarified milieu of the New York art world, but also were well-known in the popular culture, thanks to the reach of television and publications such as Life magazine. Against a background of Cold War politics, rising mass culture, and growing consumerism, Rosenberg championed the concept of action—the creative act of the artist—versus the ideal purity of a non-representational aesthetic defended by Greenberg. Action/Abstraction presents great works of art in order to re-examine how these critics' theories vied with each other and with the intentions of the artists, who nevertheless remained keenly aware of the critics' perspectives and were often influenced by them. The exhibition starts with the titanic figures of Pollock and de Kooning and unfolds with an exploration of painting and sculpture by their peers, as well as younger generations of artists who responded to their example and to the critical frameworks created by Greenberg and Rosenberg. The exhibition is presented thematically rather than chronologically and is complemented by a rich selection of contextual materials. Action/Abstraction is on view in the Main Exhibition Galleries October 19, 2008, through January 11, 2009. The Saint Louis Art Museum's presentation of Action/Abstraction features works on view exclusively at the St. Louis venue: Jackson Pollock's Number 3, 1950 (1950), Mark Rothko's Red, Orange, Orange on Red (1962), and Willem de Kooning's Woman II (1952) from the Museum of Modern Art, New York. This groundbreaking exhibition brings many masterworks to St. Louis for the first time. The exhibition has been organized by The Jewish Museum, New York in collaboration with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo and the St. Louis Art Museum. Leadership support has been provided by the Weissman Family Foundation, The National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation. The exhibition is sponsored by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. ACTION/ABSTRACTION CATALOGUE A 332-page catalogue co-published by The Jewish Museum, New York, and Yale University Press accompanies the exhibition Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940–1976. Drawing on recent critical, historical, and biographical work, the lavishly illustrated catalogue was edited by organizing curator Norman Kleeblatt, Chief Curator, Jewish Museum, and includes essays by Saint Louis Art Museum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Charlotte Eyerman and other leading scholars. The catalogue is available in the Saint Louis Art Museum Shop and through the online store. Click Here to Learn More >> ATTENDING THE EXHIBITION Admission is free to Members every day and free to all on Fridays. Otherwise, admission to the exhibition is $6 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, $4 for children 6 to 12, and free for children younger than 6. Tickets to Action/Abstraction are available at the Information Center located in the Museum's Sculpture Hall. Tickets are also available at all MetroTix locations. Charge by phone at 314.534.1111 or online at www.metrotix.com. Member presale begins October 7. Metrotix presale begins October 10. Tickets for the general public go on sale October 15. Admission includes an iPod multimedia tour for visitors 12 and older. A major credit card is required. The iPod tour is $2 on Fridays when the exhibition is free and free to members every day. Click Here to Learn More >> PICTURED WORKS OF ART (top to bottom) David Smith, American, 1906–1965; Cubi XIV, 1963; stainless steel; 125 1/2 x 78 x 30 3/4 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Friends Fund 32:1979; Art © Estate of David Smith / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Jackson Pollock, American, 1912–1956; Number 3, 1950, 1950; oil, enamel, and aluminum paint on fiberboard; 48 x 96 1/8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Partial and promised gift of Emily Rauh Pulitzer in honor of Joseph Pulitzer Jr. 1:2001; © 2008 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Jasper Johns, American, born 1930; Numbers in Color, 1958–1959; encaustic and newspaper on canvas; 66 1/2 x 49 1/2 inches; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y., Gift of Seymour H. Knox Jr., 1959; Art © Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Mark Rothko, American (born Russia), 1903–1970; Red, Orange, Orange on Red, 1962; oil on canvas; 91 3/4 x 80 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Funds given by the Shoenberg Foundation, Inc. 129:1966; © 2008 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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