Lee Krasner

The exhibition presents paintings and works on paper by Lee Krasner from the 1960s, a pivotal period of experimentation and reinvention in her artistic development. The selection traces the evolution of a vibrant gestural language as Krasner works across increasingly large canvases and develops more lyrical compositions, restricted palettes and direct applications of paint from the tube. Works from the Umber paintings (1959–62) and Primary Series of the 1960s highlight key developments in her practice and reflect the breadth of her painterly experimentation.

The presentation spans the decade through to Krasner’s later explorations of calligraphic colour and gouache on paper in 1969, culminating in Comet (1966–70), a large-scale oil painting. Alongside these works, the exhibition reflects the artist’s sustained engagement with the history of European modernism, particularly the influence of Henri Matisse on her development. By bringing together works from different stages of the decade, the exhibition highlights Krasner’s continual process of transformation and the distinctive visual language that emerges from her sustained exploration of colour, gesture, scale and composition. The presentation offers an overview of a period that consolidates her position as a significant figure within postwar American painting.