Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
January 28, 2012 – May 15, 2012
Exhibited in Washington, D.C. at the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery
Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) is an American icon. Creator of rhythmic and energetic “action painting,” he is internationally hailed as a leading figure in Abstract Expressionism.
Born in Wyoming and raised in Arizona and California, he moved to New York City in 1930. Working through a variety of influences, from Regionalism and Surrealism to Native American art, Pollock arrived at a unique pictorial language that he called “direct painting,” which created the visual equivalent of emotions and sensations. The technique was also a channel for positive energy and an antidote to Pollock’s own internal conflicts.
Although Pollock’s career was short–a mere 12 years between his first solo exhibition and his last–he decisively shaped the direction of painting after World War II. Both his art and his personality fulfilled the needs of an era that questioned traditional cultural values and hailed individual freedom of expression.
Pollock’s singular history is richly documented in the Archives of American Art, principally in the papers donated by his wife, the painter Lee Krasner (1908–1984), but also in those of his eldest brother Charles (1902–1988), and of his friends and associates. This exhibition, its title taken from one of Pollock’s own statements, celebrates the centenary of his birth, the magnitude of his achievement, and his enduring legacy.
Helen A. HarrisonGuest Curator
View Items from This Exhibition
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock as a young boy feeding ducks, 1914
The youngest of five brothers, Pollock was an adorable, tow-headed toddler who grew into a handsome youth. By the time his family settled in Los Angeles, he had begun to think about becoming an artist. But even as a teenager he was abusing alcohol and experiencing mood swings that would plague him throughout his life.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock at age 10 with his dog, Gyp, 1922
In Orland, California.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Portrait of Jackson Pollock, ca. 1928
Taken at age 16 when Pollock was a student at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and Charles Pollock in New York, 1930
Jackson’s eldest brother, Charles, already training as an artist, helped him to find direction. At 18, Jackson enrolled at the Art Students League in New York City to study with Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. He assisted Benton on a mural project and observed Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
George Cox, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jackson Pollock in New York, 1936
In 1936 Pollock joined a workshop run by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, who encouraged experimentation with liquid commercial paints instead of conventional art materials. This was Pollock’s first exposure to the paint-pouring technique.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock reading, 1943
Creator: Reuben Kadish
Pollock at age 31, in his studio at 46 East 8th Street, with an early stage of THE GUARDIANS OF THE SECRET.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock, 1944
Creator: Bernard Schardt
During World War II, Pollock began to adopt the improvisational approach that would be his hallmark. He was now living with fellow painter Lee Krasner. Peggy Guggenheim’s gallery, Art of This Century, presented his first solo exhibition, and Guggenheim commissioned a mural for her town house. This photograph shows Pollock at age 32 in Truro, Massachusetts.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock at potter's wheel in the East Hampton studio of Mrs. Larry Larkin, 1949 or 1950
In 1945, Pollock and Krasner married and moved to a homestead in Springs on eastern Long Island, where they both thrived in the peaceful rural surroundings. In a converted storage barn, Pollock perfected his pouring technique.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock holding a can of paint, 1950
Creator: Rudy Burckhardt
Pollock at age 38, in the barn studio in Springs.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock, age 40, 1952
Outside the barn studio with NUMBER 9, 1952: BLACK, WHITE, TAN.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Copy of Jackson Pollock's birth certificate, 1938 May 31
Paul Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming, on January 28, 1912. The family lived in several places in Arizona and California, finally settling in Los Angeles in 1928. After failing at various farming ventures, his father LeRoy became a surveyor and was often away from home working on road crews. It was his mother, Stella, who held the family together while raising five sons.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Pollock family eating watermelon in Arizona, ca. 1914
Left to right: LeRoy, Frank, Charles, Jackson, Marvin Jay, Sanford, Stella.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Stella Pollock holding a child, ca. 1914
Stella Pollock on the Phoenix farm, holding a neighbor’s child. Jackson, age about 2, is visible in the background.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock cutting his father's hair, 1927
From 1925 to 1928 the Pollock family lived in Riverside, California. During the summers, Jackson and Sanford spent time at their father’s work camps and joined his crew building the road to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Pollock later said that memories of the expansive Western landscape influenced his artistic vision.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock hiking with his father and brothers, 1924
LeRoy Pollock (rear) with sons Sanford, Jackson, and Frank, exploring cliff dwellings, Tonto National Forest, Arizona.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and Sande Pollock at the Grand Canyon, 1927
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and LeRoy Pollock at the Grand Canyon, 1927
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock eating watermelon, ca. 1927
Jackson (in hat, left) with hunters.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock hunting, ca. 1927
In Southern California.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock in Southern California, ca. 1927
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock standing on a dock, ca. 1930
Taken in California.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock with two unidentified friends, ca. 1929
Pollock in California.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and a group of young people, ca. 1929
Pollock (third from left) with friends, California.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, 1949
Creator: Wilfrid Zogbaum
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner marriage certificate, 1945 Oct 25
Creator: Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of New York
Krasner's name is given on the certificate as Lenore Krassner. She later changed the spelling of her last name, dropping the second s.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Thomas Hart Benton and Rita Benton letter to Jackson Pollock, 1938 Oct. 3
Creator: Thomas Hart Benton
Pollock studied with Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League from 1930 to 1932. In the summers he often visited the Benton family on Martha’s Vineyard. Once a heavy drinker himself, Benton urged his former student to “cut out the monkey business and get to work.”
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
David Alfaro Siqueiros letter to Jackson Pollock, Sandy Pollock, and Harold Lehman, 1936 Dec.
Creator: David Alfaro Siqueiros
In 1936, while employed by the WPA Federal Art Project, Jackson and Sanford participated in the Siqueiros Experimental Workshop, where they explored unconventional materials, including liquid paint. The workshop had been devoted primarily to producing floats, banners, and posters for left-wing political causes, using Siqueiros’ unorthodox materials and innovative techniques.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock paintings and drawings, 1943 Nov.
Creator: Art of This Century
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Dr. Violet Staub de Laszlo letter to the Examining Medical Officer of the Selective Service System, 1941 May 3
Creator: Violet S. (Violet Staub) De Laszlo
In 1937 Pollock began psychiatric treatment for alcoholism and emotional instability—problems that led to his classification (4-F) as unfit for military service.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Selective Service notice of classification for Jackson Pollock, 1945 Oct. 15
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock postcard to Lee Krasner, 1943 July 15
Creator: Jackson Pollock
In late 1941, Pollock met Lenore (Lee) Krasner, a fellow WPA artist, who was exhibiting with him in a show of advanced French and American painting. They became lovers, and Krasner began living with him in 1942. The following year his work came to the attention of Peggy Guggenheim, who became his dealer and patron for the next five years. In this postcard Pollock mentions his contract with Guggenheim and her mural commission.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Contract between Betty Parsons and Peggy Guggenheim regarding representation of Jackson Pollock, 1947 May 12
Creator: Peggy Guggenheim
After Guggenheim closed Art of This Century and moved to Italy in 1947, she contracted with Betty Parsons to represent Pollock as her agent until March 1948, after which Parsons became his dealer. Parsons, herself an artist, exhibited his work annually through 1951 and placed examples in important group shows nationally. Guggenheim continued to promote him in Europe, donating his work to several museums and exhibiting pieces from her collection in Venice, Florence, and Milan.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock letter to Betty Parsons, ca. 1951
Creator: Jackson Pollock
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock letter to Reuben Kadish, 1945 Nov. 10
Creator: Jackson Pollock
By 1945, it was apparent that Pollock’s drinking was interfering with his career. After visiting friends Reuben and Barbara Kadish in Springs, East Hampton, Krasner and Pollock decided to move there, away from the temptations of the urban art world. They moved to Springs in November. In his letters to the Kadishes and another friend, Louis Bunce, Pollock described the transition to country life.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock letter to Louis Bunce, 1946 June 2
Creator: Jackson Pollock
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner with Krasner's family, 1946
Lee Krasner’s family visiting Springs, summer 1946. Front row: Lee’s niece Muriel Stein with Jackson and Lee’s dog, Gyp, and nephew Ronald Stein. Back row: Jackson, Lee, Lee’s mother Anna Krassner, sister Ruth Stein and her husband William Stein.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Notes on artistic process, 194-?
Creator: Jackson Pollock
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock at work, 1950
Creator: Rudy Burckhardt
Pollock in the barn studio, appearing to be at work on number 32. In fact the painting was already finished.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock with his painting Untitled Number 32, 1954
Creator: Hans Namuth
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Pollock family reunion, 1950
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock, Clement Greenberg, Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner and an unidentified child at the beach, 1952 July
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Lee Krasner, Clement Greenberg and Jackson Pollock, 1952 July
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock's passport, 1955 July 21
Plans were made to visit Europe in 1956, but as Pollock’s career and marriage began to unravel, he decided not to go. Krasner sailed for Europe alone, while Pollock remained in Springs with his lover, Ruth Kligman. On August 11, 1956, Pollock died in an automobile accident about a mile from home.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Lee Krasner letter to Jackson Pollock, 1956 July 21
Creator: Lee Krasner
Three weeks after Krasner sent this letter from Paris, Pollock died in the automobile accident on Springs-Fireplace Road.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Jackson Pollock's studio one month after his death, 1956 Sept.
Creator: Maurice Berezov
In Paris, on the morning of August 12, 1956, Krasner received a telephone call informing her of Pollock’s death. She flew home to organize his funeral and burial in Green River Cemetery in Springs, and asked her friend, the artist and photographer Maurice Berezov, to document the studio as Pollock left it. In December, a memorial exhibition opened at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
"Rebel artist's tragic ending" from Life magazine, 1956 Aug. 27
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Martha Jackson letter to Lee Krasner, 1956 Oct. 16
Creator: Martha Kellogg Jackson
One of scores of condolence letters and sympathy cards preserved in the Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Exhibit brochure for Jackson Pollock works on paper, 1968
Creator: Museum of Modern Art
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
W.E. Woolfenden letter to James Valliere, 1963 July 19
Creator: William E. (William Edward) Woolfenden
In the early 1960s, Krasner hired a graduate student, James T. Valliere, to organize Pollock’s papers and lay the groundwork for a complete catalogue of his work. They sought the advice of William E. Woolfenden, director of the fledgling Archives of American Art, founded in 1954 and then headquartered at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Sidney Janis letter to Jackson Pollock, 1943 Sept. 27
Creator: Sidney Janis
Pollock’s art has always been controversial. Detractors dismiss it as formless, meaningless, and technically deficient, while admirers praise its compositional integrity, emotional expressiveness, and technical fluency.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Hans Hofmann letter to Jackson Pollock, 1945 Mar. 18
Creator: Hans Hofmann
The exhibition he praises opened officially at Art of This Century the following day.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Mrs. Helen K. Sellers fan letter to Jackson Pollock, with photo of her son Manning, 1948 Aug. 8
Creator: Helen K. Sellers
The Life magazine profile of Pollock, which appeared on this date, prompted a flurry of fan mail to the artist, as well as a torrent of negative letters to Life.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Daniel T. Miller letter to Jackson Pollock., 1950 Nov. 9
Creator: Daniel T. Miller
Miller, who ran the Springs General Store, wrote in care of the gallery because Pollock and Krasner were spending the winter in New York City. The exhibition to which he refers opened on November 28. “This blasted war” is the Korean conflict.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Clyfford E. Still letter to Jackson Pollock, 1953 Oct. 29
Creator: Clyfford E. Still
Still, a painter who was also on the cutting edge of the avant-garde, later withdrew his support for Pollock’s work.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Alfonso A. Ossorio letter to Jackson Pollock, 1951 Jan. 21
Creator: Alfonso A. Ossorio
A fellow artist and collector of Pollock’s work, Ossorio was lending his carriage house and studio on MacDougal Alley in Greenwich Village, New York City, to Pollock and Krasner for the winter while he was in Europe.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Shozo Shimamoto, Japan letter to Jackson Pollock, East Hampton, N.Y., 1956 Feb. 6
Creator: Shozo Shimamoto
Written on behalf of the Gutai Art Group, Japanese experimental artists who expressed kinship with Pollock and sought his advice.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Betty Parsons Gallery guest book page, ca. 1951
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Advertisement for Schlitz beer from Life magazine, 1952 Feb. 12
The Pollock painting featured is Number 23, 1949.
Learn More
Memories Arrested in Space: a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
Article on "paint-pot skirts", 1952 July 20
Creator: Joan Short
