Krasner married Jackson Pollock in 1945 and spent the next eleven years managing his career, his alcoholism, and his reputation, while making her own paintings in the bedroom because he had taken the barn. After his death in 1956, she moved into the barn, scaled up, and produced the work she should have been making all along.
Key facts
- Lived
- 1908–1984, American
- Movement
- Works held in
- 20 museums[1]
Biography
She grew up in Brooklyn, the daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants. She was the only woman in Hans Hofmann's painting class, where Hofmann allegedly told her work was 'so good you would not know it was done by a woman.' She took this as a compliment, which tells you something about the era.
She studied at the National Academy of Design, Cooper Union, and Hofmann's school. She was already an accomplished abstract painter when she met Pollock in 1942. De Kooning, who knew them both, said she was the better draughtsman. The art world disagreed, or more accurately, the art world did not bother to check.
The paintings she made after Pollock's death are large, physical, and confident. The 'Umber' series, the 'Primary' series, and the late collage paintings, made by cutting up her own earlier works and reassembling them, are among the strongest Abstract Expressionist paintings by anyone. She fought for recognition for thirty years. The retrospective at MoMA came in 1984, four months before she died at seventy-five.
She managed Pollock's estate shrewdly and ensured his legacy. She was less effective at managing her own, partly because she was too busy making paintings to promote them.
Timeline
- 1908Born Lena Krassner on 27 October in Brooklyn, New York, the sixth of seven children of Jewish emigrants from Odessa. She was the first member of the family born in the United States.
- 1926Enrolled at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art at age 18 in New York. She later studied at the National Academy of Design, determined to train as a professional painter despite limited support for women artists.
- 1937Began studying under Hans Hofmann at age 29 in New York, whose teaching of Cubist structure and Fauvist colour transformed her approach. When Hofmann remarked that her work was so good he would never guess it was done by a woman, she challenged him directly.
- 1945Married Jackson Pollock at age 37 and the couple moved to a farmhouse in Springs, East Hampton. She took a small upstairs bedroom as her studio while Pollock worked in the barn.
- 1956Following Pollock's death in a car accident, she moved into his barn studio in Springs at age 48. She began painting on a far larger scale, producing the powerful, gestural Earth Green series.
- 1965Held a retrospective exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London at age 57, her first major institutional solo show. The exhibition helped establish her reputation independently of Pollock's legacy.
- 1983A major retrospective organised by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, toured the United States when she was 75. The show was a landmark in reassessing her contribution to Abstract Expressionism on her own terms.
- 1984Died on 19 June in New York City at age 75. She had spent the final decades of her life advocating for the recognition of women in the art world and managing Pollock's estate.
Notable Works
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Where to See Lee Krasner
5 museums worldwide.
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7 works
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, United States
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6 works
Museum of Modern Art
Midtown Manhattan, United States
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4 works
Whitney Museum of American Art
Manhattan, United States
- 1 works
Vanderbilt Museum of Art
Nashville, United States
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
Did lee krasner have children?
The artist purposefully chose not to have children, as did Elaine de Kooning, because they realised that they would not be able to devote as much time to making art.How did lee krasner die?
Lee Krasner died in 1984 at the age of 76.Is lee krasner still alive?
No, Lee Krasner died in 1984.Was lee krasner married to jackson pollock?
Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock became a couple during the 1940s.What is lee krasner known for?
Lee Krasner was aware of the sexism within Abstract Expressionism, where she felt she was considered a 'dame' even though she was a painter.What is Lee Krasner's most famous work?
It is difficult to name only one work as Lee Krasner's most famous, as her practice was wide-ranging. Krasner's art is difficult to categorise, but her work is associated with Abstract Expressionism. She was a virtuoso of colour and line, and she explored diverse media, including collage and mosaic. After Krasner and Jackson Pollock married in 1945, they lived in Springs, Long Island. There, Krasner used a bedroom as a studio, where she created her Little Image series. This group of 31 paintings celebrate painting itself as a basic means of communication. One such work, *Composition*, dates to 1949. Krasner worked with her canvas flat on a table, applying pigment with sticks and palette knives, sometimes straight from the tube. She created small, roughly geometric, hieroglyphic-like shapes. Another painting, *Milkweed* (1955), is held by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York. *Night Creatures* (1965) is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and *Gaea* (1966) is at the Museum of Modern Art[6], New York.What should I know about Lee Krasner's prints?
Lee Krasner, born Lena Krassner (1908-1984), produced a limited number of prints, particularly later in her career. Although she is better known for her paintings, her explorations in printmaking offer insight into her artistic practice. Krasner engaged with printmaking at various points, often collaborating with workshops and printers. These collaborations allowed her to translate her abstract expressionist style into media such as lithography and screen printing. "Shattered Colour" (1976) is a screen print that demonstrates her use of bold forms and dynamic composition. Her prints often echo themes and motifs found in her paintings, including biomorphic shapes and energetic lines. Krasner used printmaking to revisit and reinterpret earlier ideas, sometimes creating variations on existing compositions. The prints are not mere reproductions; they are original works that explore the possibilities of the medium. Collectors value her prints for their connection to her larger body of work and their unique qualities as limited edition pieces.What style or movement did Lee Krasner belong to?
Lee Krasner (born Lenore Krassner in Brooklyn, 1908) is associated with Abstract Expressionism. Her artwork, characterised by gestural painting, defies simple categorisation. Krasner's career began in New York, where she studied at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union (1926 to 1929), the Art Students League (summer 1928), and the National Academy of Design (1929 to 1931). She studied at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts from 1937 to 1940. Krasner's early work was influenced by European modernism. She absorbed academic Cubism, learning to discern structure within observed forms. This approach produced abstracted surfaces, creating compositional tension. In the 1940s, she was exposed to Surrealist 'action' methods that emerged in New York. Krasner participated in the 1941 American and French Painting exhibition at the McMillen Gallery, alongside Jackson Pollock, whom she married in 1945. Her first solo exhibition was at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York in 1951. She experimented with collage and mosaic. A major retrospective of Krasner's work was held at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London in 1965.What techniques or materials did Lee Krasner use?
Lee Krasner (born Lenore Krassner in Brooklyn, New York, 1908) experimented with a range of media and approaches throughout her career. She studied at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union, the Art Students League, and the National Academy of Design. She also studied with Hans Hofmann from 1937 to 1940. Krasner engaged with Cubism early in her career; Hofmann taught his students an academic version of the style, using observed forms toward abstracted surfaces. Later, she absorbed the 'action' moment of Surrealism that emerged in New York in the 1940s. Krasner worked in media including oil paint and collage. From 1953 to 1955, she explored collage. In 1959, she completed two mosaic murals for the Uris building at 2 Broadway in New York. In 1976, she made 'Past Continuous', a collage on canvas composed of three panels.What was Lee Krasner known for?
Lee Krasner (born Lenore Krassner in Brooklyn, 1908) was an abstract expressionist painter known for her constantly evolving style. She studied at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union, the Art Students League, and the National Academy of Design before participating in New Deal art projects during the early 1930s. From 1937 to 1940, Krasner studied at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts and exhibited with the American Abstract Artists in New York in 1940. Krasner's work is difficult to categorise, but it is imbued with gestural painting, colour, and line. She explored diverse media, including collage and mosaic. In the late 1940s, she painted her 'Little Image' series flat on a table, applying pigment with sticks, palette knives, and straight from the tube to create geometric shapes. Krasner refused a signature style, constantly questioning her practice, experimenting, and moving abstract painting in new directions. A major retrospective opened in 1965 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.When did Lee Krasner live and work?
Lee Krasner was born Lena Krassner in Brooklyn, New York, on 27 October 1908 to Russian Jewish parents. Later in life, she went by the name ‘Lee’. Krasner studied art in New York at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union from 1926 to 1929, and at the Art Students League in the summer of 1928. From 1929 to 1931, she attended the National Academy of Design. During the 1930s, she participated in New Deal art projects. She studied at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts from 1937 to 1940. In 1945, Krasner married Jackson Pollock, and they moved to The Springs, East Hampton. There, she began her Little Images series of paintings, which she continued until the end of the decade. Krasner's first solo exhibition was held at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York in 1951. She travelled to Europe in the summer of 1956. A major retrospective of her work opened in 1965 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London. She lived and worked in New York and The Springs.When did lee krasner meet jackson pollock?
Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock became a couple during the 1940s.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Lee Krasner.
- [1] museum Institut Valencià d'Art Modern Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Cleveland Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Whitney Museum of American Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum National Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Museum of Modern Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] book Susie Hodge, Artistic Circles Used for: biography.
- [8] book guggenheim-guhe00solo Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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