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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Lifestyle
Veronica Esposito

‘Each artist on their own terms’: why Lee Krasner was every bit the equal to husband Jackson Pollock

Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock stand before a large abstract painting in his studio
Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock at his studio in East Hampton, New York, 1953. Photograph: Tony Vaccaro/Getty Images

In addition to managing her own career as an artist and being a devoted partner to an often unpredictable and tumultuous Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner had at least one other duty – acting as the unofficial publicist to her husband’s career.

“She was a great champion of Pollock’s work, but also so aware of the gender politics of the time,” says curator David Breslin, who alongside Brinda Kumar worked for three long years to bring a new blockbuster dual show, exploring the arc of Pollock’s and Krasner’s careers, to the public at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “She was such a realist, she knew if there was one person in the couple who would sell, it was him. She wanted to pay the bills.

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