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―from his childhood in the American West 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. Yet less is known of his earlier works, which are seldom presented together as a focus of study in their own right. Pollock’s body of work produced during these pivotal years vacillates between figurative references and abstract formal experimentation, and bears witness to a diverse range of sources that nourished the young artist’s experimentation, from Native American influences stemming from his upbringing in Arizona and California, to Mexican muralists he encountered in 1938, and from European avant-garde artists―among whom Pablo Picasso figures prominently―to the Surrealists. His experiences under Jungian psychoanalysis also left a mark on his art, and this book offers intimate insight into the artist’s psyche.

Through this comprehensive volume―which includes ten of Pollock’s most important early works, such as Birth (1941) and She Wolf (1943), categorized into two distinctive artistic periods―readers will discover how these different influences merged to forge Pollock’s distinctive and singular artistic voice. This book offers a captivating narrative of one of the twentieth century’s most influential and radical artists and is essential reading for Pollock fans and students of modern art. This volume was produced in close collaboration with the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center and the Musée National Picasso-Paris to accompany an exhibition at the Musée National Picasso-Paris from October 15, 2024-January19, 2025.

About the Author

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 curator at the Institut National du Patrimoine and former research fellow 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.