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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Death of an Artist: Krasner & Pollock

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When Jackson Pollock died in 1956, after driving his car off the road in East Hampton, he was a penniless, philandering alcoholic with $200 in his bank account. Today Pollock is revered as a giant of Abstract Expressionism, and his paintings sell for millions of dollars at auction. A new podcast credits his wife, fellow Abstract Expressionist Lee Krasner, with the dramatic resurrection of Pollock’s legacy. Hosted by the British curator and writer Katy Hessel, Death of an Artist tells the story of Pollock and Krasner’s romance, her heartbreak at his sudden death, and her tireless and ultimately triumphant promotion of his work. A compelling and rare story of how one woman single-handedly changed the course of art history. —Paulina Prosnitz

Photo courtesy of Pushkin