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Pollock-Krasner House

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Pollock-Krasner House
NamePollock-Krasner House
LocationEast Hampton, New York
Built1879
ArchitectureGreek Revival
Governing bodyPollock-Krasner Foundation
DesignationNational Historic Landmark

Pollock-Krasner House

The Pollock-Krasner House is the former home and studio complex of painters Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, located in East Hampton, New York. The site is notable for its association with Abstract Expressionism, the New York School, and pivotal mid-20th-century art movements linked to figures such as Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. Designated a National Historic Landmark, the house forms part of the broader cultural landscape that includes institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum.

History

The property was constructed in 1879 in East Hampton, New York, a town with historical ties to Colonial America, Hampton Bay, and the Montauk Point Light. Ownership traces include local families tied to Long Island agrarian life before acquisition by artists during the mid-20th century. In 1945 Lee Krasner purchased the house, following the wartime years that connected her to artists associated with Peggy Guggenheim, Art of This Century gallery, and wartime New York networks alongside figures such as Stuart Davis and Arshile Gorky. Jackson Pollock moved to the property in 1945–1946; their lives intersected with contemporaries including Franz Kline, Philip Guston, Clyfford Still, and critics like Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg. The site's subsequent preservation involved the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, established after Krasner’s death, and drew support from cultural agencies like the National Park Service and the National Register of Historic Places program.

Architecture and Grounds

The house is a vernacular Greek Revival-influenced farmhouse reflecting regional Long Island archetypes related to structures in Sag Harbor and Montauk. The complex includes a converted garage studio where Jackson Pollock created drip paintings and an attached barn/studio used by Lee Krasner. The grounds contain a famously preserved pine tree, stone walls, and a garden landscape comparable to artist colonies in Greenwich Village and Fire Island. Site elements evoke material connections to wooden frame construction seen in Hudson River School landscapes and the rural environments frequented by artists such as Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper.

Jackson Pollock's Life and Work at the House

At the property Jackson Pollock developed signature techniques associated with Action painting and Drip painting, producing works that entered collections of institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, and the National Gallery of Art. During his residency Pollock interacted with abstract expressionists including Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman and was the subject of critical writing by Clement Greenberg, discussions at venues like Black Mountain College, and coverage in publications such as Artforum and ARTnews. The studio space hosted experiments with household materials and industrial paints that influenced later artists including Franz Kline and Helen Frankenthaler and informed exhibitions at galleries such as Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century and dealers like Nicolas Roerich and Sidney Janis.

Lee Krasner's Life and Work at the House

Lee Krasner used the house and adjacent studio to sustain a long career that bridged Cubism-influenced collage work and postwar abstraction recognized by institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Krasner maintained archival practice, conservation of Pollock’s legacy, and later produced major works that entered collections of the Tate Modern, the Guggenheim Museum, and regional museums such as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Her connections extended to contemporaries like Joan Mitchell, Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, and critics and curators at the Guggenheim Foundation and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Conservation and Restoration

Preservation efforts have involved the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, conservation scientists, and agencies such as the National Park Service and state-level historic preservation offices. Conservation addressed building fabric, studio floors stained by industrial paints, and the stabilization of outbuildings comparable to treatments used at sites like Graceland and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Technical studies referenced conservation research from laboratories associated with the Getty Conservation Institute and partnerships with academic programs at institutions like Columbia University and New York University. The landmark designation required documentation consistent with the National Historic Landmark criteria and coordination with the National Register of Historic Places.

Public Access and Museum Operations

Operated by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the site provides guided tours, educational programming, and archival access similar to offerings at the Frick Collection and the Guggenheim Museum. Partnerships with regional cultural organizations, including the East Hampton Historical Society and university museum studies programs at Cooper Union and the School of Visual Arts, support exhibitions, fellowships, and conservation internships. The site’s programming aligns with scholarship on Abstract Expressionism promoted through conferences at venues such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and lecture series supported by foundations including the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Category:Historic house museums in New York (state) Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Category:Jackson Pollock