Lee Krasner, Fecundity (1960), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.
Lee Krasner, Fecundity (1960), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

LEE KRASNER

“The Umber Paintings, 1959–1962”
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
Through January 13, 2018

 

What the Gallery Says: “Painted between 1959 and 1962, Krasner’s ‘Umber Paintings’ were realized during one of her most ambitious periods of creative production following the sudden and tragic loss of her husband, Jackson Pollock. During this time of newfound solitude, Krasner moved into Pollock’s studio at their home in the Springs, East Hampton, which enabled her to experiment on large canvases for the first time. In addition to the increase in scale, this period was also characterized by a further commitment to ‘allover’ compositions, an emphasis on gesturality and an engagement with the individual psyche.”

Why It’s Worth a Look: It’s Krasner’s first show with Kasmin, which began representing her estate in late 2016, and an excellent opportunity to revisit the here-to-fore underappreciated career of one of the Ab-Ex greats. Plus, after decades in Pollock’s shadow, Krasner seems poised for a major moment: In November, she set a new auction record—$5.5 million at Christie’s New York—only to immediately top it with a $7 million sale at Kasmin’s booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach.

What It Looks Like:

Lee Krasner, Fecundity (1960), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner, Seeded (1960), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner, Uncaged (1960), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner, Uncaged (1960) and Assault On the Solar Plexus (1961), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner, Seeded (1960), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner, Moontide (1961), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner,
Assault On the Solar Plexus (1961), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

Lee Krasner, Fecundity (1960) and Moontide (1961), installation view. © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.