Abstract Expressionism, a movement that shifted the art world’s focus from Paris to New York City, faced initial rejection, with Jackson Pollock even being ridiculed as “Jack the Dripper.” Mary Gabriel, known for her work Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution, sheds light on the overlooked contributions of five pivotal women—Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler—to this movement.
Gabriel emphasizes that these women, like many revolutionaries, operated on the fringes of the art scene in the ’30s and ’40s, acknowledging each other’s talent when others did not. She delves into the events of 1951 when these artists, shut out by mainstream galleries, transformed a rundown store on Ninth Street into an exhibition space that garnered attention from the art world elite.
Through extensive research spanning decades, Gabriel intertwines the biographies of these painters with the cultural history of America from 1929 to 1959, a time marked by consumerism, war, and shifting societal norms. She chronicles the beginnings of the movement with Krasner and Elaine de Kooning, followed by a second wave with Hartigan, Mitchell, and Frankenthaler.
Each artist’s journey is portrayed vividly, from Krasner’s reinvention amid personal struggles to Frankenthaler’s pioneering soak-stain technique in Color Field painting. Mitchell’s passion for painting and Hartigan’s unwavering dedication to art despite personal sacrifices are also highlighted.
The narrative confronts gender bias prevalent in the art world, with Krasner and Mitchell expressing candid frustration with discrimination against women artists. Gabriel underscores the long-overdue recognition these women received for their significant contributions to modern art, challenging prevailing biases and acknowledging their rightful place in art history.
Despite facing obstacles and male-dominated environments, these women persevered, making indelible marks on the art world and paving the way for future generations of artists regardless of gender.
