Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous

A survey of two icons of Abstract Expressionism that examines their distinct but connected careers and artistic legacies

The groundbreaking artists Lee Krasner (1908–1984) and Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) profoundly influenced each other as they found their own places at the forefront of the Abstract Expressionism movement. Spanning the full arc of their careers―including the years before they met, their time as a couple, and Krasner’s life after Pollock’s death―this book features more than one hundred vivid paintings and works on paper. Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous highlights the range and art-historical importance of Krasner’s work, evaluates Pollock’s significance anew, and considers the pair as artistic peers against the backdrop of the postwar United States. Essays revisit key periods in their creative trajectories, from their parallel emergence in the 1940s New York art scene to their later move to Long Island. The authors situate the artists within their historical context and trace important breakthroughs in their practices, such as Pollock’s exploration of the “drip” technique and Krasner’s turn to collage. Personal reflections from twenty-first-century artists attest to Krasner’s and Pollock’s ongoing legacies. For devotees of Krasner and Pollock and for readers encountering them for the first time, this book offers an illuminating portrait of the two artists.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Exhibition Schedule:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(October 4, 2026–January 31, 2027)

David Breslin is Leonard A. Lauder Curator in Charge, and Brinda Kumar is associate curator, both in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.