Jackson Pollock : The Early Years: 1934-1947

Trace the genesis of Jackson Pollock’s work in this intimate portrait of the radical twentieth-century artist through the diverse cultural influences that charted his artistic evolution.

Jackson Pollock’s “drip technique” paintings are among the most readily recognizable works of modern art, and they launched his career in 1947. But Pollock’s earlier works vacillate between figurative references and abstract formal experimentation; they bear witness to diverse sources that nourished the young artist’s experimentation, including Native American influences, Mexican muralists, European avant-garde artists—notably Picasso—and the Surrealists. Jungian psychoanalysis also left a mark on his art, and this book offers intimate insight into the artist’s psyche. Through this comprehensive volume—produced to accompany the exhibition at the Musée National Picasso-Paris—readers will discover how these influences merged to forge Pollock’s distinctive and singular artistic voice.

The Musée National Picasso-Paris is the world's preeminent Picasso museum; its collection comprises over 5,000 works and tens of thousands of archived pieces. Joanne Snrech is heritage curator at the Musée National Picasso-Paris. Ruben Gallo is the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr., Professor in Language, Literature, and Civilization of Spain at Princeton University. Orane Stalpers is research manager at the Musée National Picasso-Paris. Helen Harrison was director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center at Stony Brook University in Springs, New York. Nina Zimmer is an art historian and director of the Zentrum Paul Klee and the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern. Choghakate Kazarian is a heritage curator and former Terra Foundation fellow.