Lee Krasner
1908–1984

Lenore "Lee" Krasner (born Lena Krassner; October 27, 1908 – June 19, 1984) was an American Abstract Expressionist painter and visual artist active primarily in New York. She received her early academic training at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union, and the National Academy of Design from 1928 to 1932. Krasner's exposure to Post-Impressionism at the newly opened Museum of Modern Art in 1929 led to a sustained interest in modern art. In 1937, she enrolled in classes taught by Hans Hofmann, which led her to integrate influences of Cubism into her paintings. During the Great Depression, Krasner joined the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, transitioning to war propaganda artworks during the War Services era.

By the 1940s, Krasner was a prominent figure among the American abstract artists associated with the New York School, with a network including seminal figures like Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko. Despite her critical success, Krasner's work was often overshadowed by the career of her husband, Jackson Pollock, whom she married in 1945. Their life was marred by Pollock's infidelity and alcoholism, which had a deep emotional impact on Krasner. The late 1950s to the early 1960s were characterized by a more expressive and gestural style, influenced by, among other aspects, the untimely death of her husband in 1956. In her later years, she received broader artistic and commercial recognition and her work saw a shift towards large horizontal paintings marked by hard-edge lines and bright contrasting colors defining her style.

During her life, Krasner received numerous honorary degrees, including Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Stony Brook University. Following Krasner's death in 1984, critic Robert Hughes described her as "the Mother Courage of Abstract Expressionism" and a posthumous retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, New York and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation were established to preserve the work and cultural influence of her and her husband. The latter has since focused on supporting new artists and art historical scholarship in American art.