Women of Abstract Expressionism

Artists Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, and many other women played a major role in the development of Abstract Expressionism, centered in late 1940s and 1950s New York. Though the contributions of these women had a profound impact on American art of the 20th century, their work has not received the same critical attention as that of their celebrated male counterparts. Women of Abstract Expressionism is a long-overdue survey of female Abstract Expressionist artists.

Lavishly illustrated with full-color plates, the book features biographies of more than forty artists, offering a glimpse into the lives and work of these accomplished women. Essays by noted scholars explore the techniques, trials, and legacies of women in Abstract Expressionism and consider topics such as the art culture of San Francisco and metonymy as an artistic trope. This groundbreaking book reveals the richness of the careers of these artists and offers scholarly and general audiences important new insight into their work.

About the Authors

Joan Marter is Board of Governors Professor in Contemporary Painting and Sculpture at Rutgers University and editor of the Woman’s Art Journal.

Gwen F. Chanzit is curator of modern art and the Herbert Bayer Collection and Archive at the Denver Art Museum and director of museum studies in art history at the University of Denver.