New York School abstract expressionism

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This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

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## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 The Club
* 3 9th Street Art Exhibition
* 4 New York Artists’ Annuals
* 5 References

New York School abstract expressionism dominated a period of the post-World War II art world, beginning in 1945 and lasting to about 1957, when pop art appeared.

The renowned art historian Marilyn Stokstad wrote the following[1]:

> When the United States of America emerged from World War II as the most powerful nation in the world its new stature was soon reflected in the arts. American artists and architects—especially those living in New York City—assumed a leadership in artistic innovation that by the late 1950s had been acknowledged across the Atlantic even in Paris.

## History[edit]

By the late 1940s artists of the New York School felt the need to organize themselves. The first meeting place was the “Studio 35,” located at 35 East 8th Street. Robert Iglehart, Hale Woodruff and Tony Smith who were teachers in the New York University School of Art Education, in the fall of 1949 privately took over the loft which previously housed “Subjects of the Artist,” “Studio 35” provided the forum for Friday evening lectures by advanced artists. Among the artists who lectured, were Jean Arp, William Baziotes, Jimmy Ernst, Herbert Ferber, Fritz Glarner, Adolph Gottlieb, Harry Holtzman, Weldon Kees, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt and Mark Rothko. It closed in April 23, 1950 after a three-day seminar.[2]

## The Club[edit]

The first organized activity by the New York avant-garde was the formation of The Club. Rudi Blesh described the atmosphere at the time of its formation:[3]

> The Club was set up in 1949 by a group of twenty. There was one empty place at The Club that no one could ever fill. That was the place of that wild, lovable Armenian, Wostanig Adoyan, who had taken the fanciful name of Arshile Gorky when he came to America. Gorky, who had been proud of the fact that three art schools had ‘canned’ him, who had endured the most abject poverty in order to paint, who all through the terrible 1920’s and on to the end of his life had fought thievishly for modernism, was only forty four when he died in 1948. But his influence had been tremendous with the other men: he spoke their language both in paint and in words—that soaring, poetic word-imagery which painters will not tolerate from critics, but themselves love to employ. Gorky was gone, and, as Lloyd Goodrich, Director of the Whitney Museum, was moved to say, it ‘was a tragic loss to the art of America and the world’ Gorky’s going was then so recent as to be not quite believable.

The Club or the Artists’ Club was located at 39 East 8th Street. The mem­bers, with few ex­cep­tions, were mostly war vet­er­an, forty year old, pro­fes­sion­al artists. Prior to the war, many of them par­tic­i­pat­ed in the Federal Art Project, (WPA) Works Progress Ad­min­is­tra­tion, which pro­vid­ed sti­pends during the depression in the Roosevelt administration.

Jeanne Miles, one of the veteran artists of the early members of the Club, described it in the following way:[4]

> Phillip Pavia and Landes Lewitin were, in a way, the backbone of the Club. The weekly meetings were filled with volatile discussion and argument. Artists had a chance there to exchange ideas and confront critics and curators, who were often invited to the Club to explain themselves. The Cedar Bar and the Club probably had the most stimulating influence on American art since the Armory show. At that time there was a contagious atmosphere of involvement in art. For many artists the Cedar Bar was a home away from, home. Franz Kline picked up his mail there. Any night of the week it housed the ‘art world’—artists, critics, dealers, collectors, museum curators and directors. Since they all fit into the bar, the art world was not as large as we thought it was. The talk was always about art, and there were fights, but the issues were aesthetic. There was no art market money talk then. The atmosphere provided nourishment for many struggling artists who later became successful.

Jack Tworkov, one of the members of the Club later recollected:[5]

> Post World War II painting in New York moved against two repressive experiences-the rhetoric of social realism, preached especially by the artists and ideologues on the arts projects of the thirties, and the hegemony of Paris in modern art. The re­sponse was an art that stood against all formula, an art in which impulse, instinct and the automatic, as guides to interior reality, were to usurp all forms of intellectualizing. I cannot remember any period of my life that so went to my head as 1949. It marked the foundation of the Artists’ Club in New York and heralded a decade of painting as fruitful and revolutionary as the Impressionism of 1870.

## 9th Street Art Exhibition[edit]

The weekly discussions in the Club led to the idea of organizing an exhibition. The organization of the “9th Street Show,” May 21- June 10, 1951, aimed to connect to the public and to unify the down­town artists. The show was located at 60 East 9th Street in the first floor and the basement of a building that was about to be demolished. [6]

> The artists celebrated not only the appearance of dealers, collectors, and museum people on 9th Street, and the consequent exposure of their work but they celebrated the creation and the strength of a living community of significant dimensions........There was an informal committee that chose the participants, actively viewing work by newcomers along with notifying artists in and around the Club.

The poster of the historical "9th St." Show [7]was designed by Franz Kline, listing the names of the sixty-one invited participants.

Artists of the 9th Street Art Exhibition [8]

The 9th Street Art Exhibition showed the work of the pioneers of the New York School:

* Alfred L. Copley-L. Alcopley (1910 - 1992)
* Rene Robert Bouche (1906 - 1963)
* Theodore Brenson (1893 - 1959)
* James Brooks (1906 - 1992)
* Peter Busa (1914 - 1985)
* Giorgio Cavallon (1904 - 1989) i
* Nicolas Carone (1917 - )
* Elaine de Kooning (1918 – 1989)
* Willem de Kooning (1904 - 1998)
* Robert de Niro, Sr. (1922 – 1993)
* Enrico Donati (1909 - 2008)
* Friedel Dzubas (1915 – 1994)
* Jimmy Ernst (1920 - 1984)
* Herbert Ferber (1906 - 1991)
* John Ferren (1905 – 1970)
* Perle Fine (1908 - 1988)
* Helen Frankenthaler (1928 - )
* Michael Goldberg (Stuart) (1924 - 2007)
* Robert Goodnough (1917 - )
* Clement Greenberg (1909 - 1998)
* Peter Grippe (1912 – 2002)

* Philip Guston (1913 – 1980)
* Grace Hartigan (George) (1922 - )
* Hans Hofmann (1880 – 1966)
* Harry Jackson (artist) (1924 - )
* Kappell (N/A)
* Earl Kerkam (1891 – 1965)
* Franz Kline (1910 – 1962)
* Gitou Knoop (1909 - 1985)
* Albert Kotin (1907 – 1980)
* Lee Krasner (1908 – 1984)
* Alfred Leslie (1927 - )
* Richard Lippold (1915 – 2002)
* Seymour Lipton (1903 – 1986)
* Conrad Marca-Relli (1913 – 2000)
* Boris Margo (1902 – 1995)
* George McNeil (1908 – 1995)
* Joan Mitchell (1926 – 1992)
* Robert Motherwell (1915 – 1991)
* Costantino Nivola (1911 – 1988)
* Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956)

* Fairfield Porter (1907 – 1975)
* Richard Pousette-Dart (1916 – 1992)
* Melville Price (1920 – 1970)
* Ad Reinhardt (1913 – 1967)
* Milton Resnick (1917 – 2004)
* Robert Richenburg (1917 - 2006)
* James Rosati (1912 – 1988)
* Anne Ryan (1889 – 1954)
* Joop Sanders (1921 - )
* Louis Schanker (1903 – 1981)
* Day Schnabel (1905 - 1991)
* Sonia Sekula (1918 – 1963)
* David Smith (1906 – 1965)
* Theodoros Stamos (1922 – 1997)
* Joe Srefanelli (1921 - )
* John Stephan (1906 – 1994)
* Jean Steubing (N/A)
* Bradley Walker Tomlin (1899 – 1953)
* Jack Tworkov (1900 – 1982)
* Esteban Vicente (1903 – 2001)

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## New York Artists’ Annuals[edit]

The New York School which represented the New York School abstract expressionists of the 1950s was documented through a series of artists’ painting and sculpture annual exhibitions.

The First New York Painting and Sculpture Annual held initially in New York City at a temporary gallery in 9th Street in 1951. The 9th Street Art Exhibition (“9th St.” Show) continued in 1953 at the Stable Gallery[9] in New York City and continued until 1957.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

The Complete List of Artists' Participation in the New York Painting and Sculpture Annuals, 1951-1957 [16]

* Herb Aach (1923–1985)
* Mary Abbott, (artist) ((1921-)
* Ruth Abrams (NA)
* Patricia Adams {1928-)
* Peter Agostini (1913–1993)
* Josef Albers (1888–1976)
* Calvin Albert (1918–2007)
* Olga Albizu (1924–2005)
* Alfred L. Copley-L. Alcopley (1910–1992)
* Anderson (NA)
* Andrews (NA)
* Anne Arnold (1925-)
* Ruth Asawa (1926-)
* Elise Asher (1914–2004)
* Milton Avery (1885–1965)

* Alice Baber (1928–1982)
* William Baziotes (1912 – 1963)
* Robert Beauchamp (1923–1995)
* Rosemarie Beck (1925-)
* Benn Ben (1884–1983)
* J. Benton (NA)
* Janice Biala (1903–2000)
* Nell Blaine (1922–1996)
* Ilya Bolotowsky (1907–1981)
* Cameron Booth (1892–1980)
* Rene Robert Bouche (1906–1963)
* Louise Bourgeois (1911-)
* Paul Brach (1924–2007)
* Theodore Brenson (1893–1959)
* Ernest Briggs (1923–1984)
* Gandy Brodie (1925–1975)
* James Brooks (1906–1992)
* Daniel Brustlein (Alain) (1904–1996)
* Fritz Bultman (1919–1985)
* Peter Busa (1914–1985)
* John Button (1929–1982)

* Charles Cajori (1921-)
* Gretna Campbell (1922–1987)
* M. Carles (NA)
* Nicolas Carone (1917-)
* Giorgio Cavallon (1904–1989)
* Bernard Chaet (1924-)
* Chase (NA)
* Herman Cherry (1909–1992)
* Carmen Cicero (1926-)
* Robert F. Conover (1920–1998)
* Edward Corbett (1919–1971)
* Joseph Cornell (1903–1972)
* Martin Craig (1906-)
* Rollin Crampton (1896–1970)
* Jane Crawford (NA)
* Hubert Crehan (NA)
* Ben Cunningham (visual arts) (1904–1975)

* Nanno de Groot (1913–1963)
* Dorothy Dehner (1901–1994)
* Elaine de Kooning (1918-(1989)
* Willem de Kooning (1904–1997)
* Robert De Niro, Sr. (1922–1993)
* Jose de Rivera (1904–1985)
* Edwin Dickinson (1891–1978)
* Burgoyne Diller (1906–1965)
* Lois Dodd (1927-)
* Enrico Donati (1909–2008)
* Edward Dugmore (1915–1996)
* Friedel Dzubas (1915–1994)

* Thomas Brownell Eldred (1903–1993)
* Arthur Elias (1925-)
* Jimmy Ernst (1920–1984)

* Fred Farr (1914–1973)
* Sam L. Feinstein (1915-)
* Herbert Ferber (1906–1991)
* John Ferren (1905–1970)
* Fick (NA)
* Perle Fine (1908–1988)
* Louis Finkelstein (1923–2000)
* Joe Fiore (1925-)
* Ida Fischer (1883–1956)
* Fitzsimmons (NA)
* Audrey Flack (1931-)
* Jean Follet (1917–1991)
* Miles Forst (1914-)
* Helen Frankenthaler (1928-)
* Seymour Frankes (NA)
* Jane Freilicher (1924-)
* Syd Fromboluti (1920-)

* Sidney Geist (1914–2005)
* William Getman (1916–1972)
* Ilse Getz (1917–1992)
* Julia Girona (N/A)
* Fritz Glarner (1899–1972)
* Joseph Glasco (1925–1996)
* Michael Goldberg (Stuart) (1924–2007)
* Sam Goodman (1919 – )
* Robert Goodnough (1917-)
* Sidney Gordin (1918–1996)
* Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974)
* John D. Graham (1886–1961)
* Balcomb Greene (1904–1990)
* Gertrude G. Green (1904–1956)
* Clement Greenberg (1909–1994)
* John Grillo (1917-)
* Peter Grippe (1912-)
* Salvatore Grippi (1921-)
* Joseph Groell (1928 – )
* Jose Guerrero (1914–1992)
* Philip Guston (1913–1980)

* Ruth Hageman (NA)
* Raoul Hague (1905–1993)
* David Hare (1917–1992)
* Grace Hartigan (1922- 2008)
* Fred Hauck (1905–1960)
* Sally Hazelet (1924-)
* Raymond Hendler (1923–1998)
* Emil John Hess (1913-)
* Clinton Hill (1922-)
* Hans Hofmann (1880–1966)
* Charles Hodges (artist) (NA)
* John Hultberg (1922–2005)

* Angelo Ippolito (1922–2002)
* Richard Ireland (1925-)
* Ben Isquith (N/A)

* Harry Jackson (artist) (1924-)
* Alfred Jensen (1903–1981)
* Ben Johnson (1902–1967)
* Lester Johnson (1919-)

* Reuben Kadish (1913–1992)
* Wolf Kahn (1927-)
* Herbert Kallem (1909–1994)
* Howard Kanovitz (1929-2009)
* Morris Kantor (1896–1974)
* Kappell (NA)
* Alex Katz (1927-)
* Earl Kerkam (1891–1965)
* William Kienbusch (1914–1980)
* Frederich Kiesler (1896–1965)
* William King ((1925-)
* Klavin (NA)
* Franz Kline (1910–1962)
* Guitou Knoop (1909–1985)
* Gabriel Kohn (1910–1975)
* Albert Kotin (1907–1980)
* Lee Krasner (1908–1984)
* Albert Kresch (1922–)

* Ibram Lassaw (1913–2003)
* Alfred Leslie (1927-)
* Israel J. Levitan (1912–1982)
* Norman W. Lewis (1909–1979)
* Landes Lewitin (1892–1966)
* Linda Lindeberg (1915–1973)
* Richard Lippold (1915–2002)
* Seymour Lipton (1903–1986)
* John Little (artist) (1907–1984)
* William H. Littlefield (1902–1969)
* Michael Loew (1907–1985)
* Vincent J. Longo (1923-)
* David Lund (1925-)

* M. Manning (NA)
* Conrad Marca-Relli (1913–2000)
* Marcia Marcus (1928-)
* Boris Margo (1902–1995)
* Marisol Escobar (1930-)
* Nicholas Marsicano (1908–1991)
* Knox Martin (1923-)
* Alice T. Mason (1904–1971)
* Mercedes Matter (1913–2001)
* George McNeil (1908–1995)
* Deven Mead (NA)
* Joseph Messina (NA)
* Jeanne Patterson Miles (1908–1999)
* Fred Mitchell (1923-)
* Joan Mitchell (1926–1992)
* Hans Moller (1905-200)
* Kyle Morris (1917–1979)
* Robert Motherwell (1915–1991)
* Jan Müller (1922–1958)

* Reuben Nakian (1897–1986)
* Louise Berliawsky Nevelson (1900–1988)
* Al James Newbill (1921-)
* Roy Newell (NA)
* Costantino Nivola (1911–1988)
* Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988)
* Kenneth Noland (1924-)

* Kenzo Okada (1902–1982)
* George Ortman (1926-)
* Cyril Osborn (NA)
* Alfonso A. Ossorio (1916–1990)

* Stephan Pace (1918-)
* Charlotte Park (1918-)
* Ray Parker (1922–1990)
* Felix Pasilis (1922-)
* Patricia Passlof (NA)
* Philip Pavia (1912–2005)
* Vincent Pepi (1926-)
* Philip Pearlstein (1924-)
* Howard Petersen (NA)
* Vita Peterson (NA)
* Reginald Pollack (1924–2001)
* Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)
* Fairfield Porter (1907–1975)
* Richard Pousette-Dart (1916–1992)
* Melville Price (1920–1970)

* Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008)
* Ad Reinhardt (1913–1967)
* Wallace Reiss (1925–1978))
* Theophil Reppke (N/A)
* Milton Resnick (1917–2004)
* Jeanne Reynal (1903–1983)
* Robert Richenburg (1917–2006)
* Larry Rivers (1923–2002)
* Raymond Rocklin (1922-)
* James Rosati (1911–1988)
* Leatrice Rose (N/A)
* Anne Ryan (1889–1954)

* Attilio Salemme (1911–1955)
* Ludwig Sander (1906–1975)
* Joop Sanders (1921-)
* Angelo Savelli (1911-)
* Louis Schanker (1903–1981)
* Miriam Schapiro (1923-)
* Abram Schlemovitz (N/A)
* Edith Schloss (1919-)
* Day T. Schnabel (1905-)
* Max Schnitzler (1903-)
* Jon Schueler (1916–1992)
* Ethel K. Schwabacher (1903–1984)
* Sonia Sekula (1918–1963)
* Charles Seliger (1926-)
* Kurt Seligman (1900–1962)
* Thomas A. Sills (1914–2000)
* David Slivka (1914-)
* David Smith (1906–1965)
* Hyde Solomon (1911–1982)
* George Spaventa (1918–1978)
* Ray Spillenger (1924-)
* Nora Speyer (1923-)
* Jack Squire (1927-)
* Theodoros Stamos (1922–1997)
* Richard Stankiewicz (1922–1983)
* Joe Stefanelli (artist) (1921-)
* John Stephan (1906–1994)
* Hedda L. Sterne (1910-)
* Jean Steubing (NA)

* Anne Tabachnick (1927-1995)
* Tavelli (NA)
* Albert Terris (NA)
* Yvonne Thomas (1913-)
* Tolkach (NA)
* Bradley Walker Tomlin (1899–1953)
* Turku Trajan (1887–1957)
* Cy Twombly (1928-)
* Jack Tworkov (1900–1982)

* Nicolai I. Vasilieff (1892–1970)
* Esteban Vicente (1904–2001)
* Vaclav Vytlacil (1892–1984)

* Weil (NA)
* Michael (Corinne) West (1908–1991)
* Pennerton West (1913-)
* Steve Wheeler (1912–1992)
* Connie Whidden (NA)
* William White (NA)
* Norman Wiener (NA)
* Jane Wilson (1924-)

* Taro Yamamoto (1919–1993)
* Alice Yamin (NA)
* Manoucher Yektai (1922-)
* Adja Yunkers (1900–1983)

* Wilfrid Zogbaum (1915–1965)

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## References[edit]

1. ↑ ‘’Marylin Stokstad, Art History. Revised edition, Volume 2’’ (New York Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1999) p. 1109. ISBN 0810919915
2. ↑ Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, Aaron Siskind, Bernard Karpel, Joyce Wittenborn eds., Modern Artists in America, first series, (New York: Wittenborn Schultz, Inc., 1950.) OCLC 58912632
3. ↑ Stuart Davis; Lloyd Goodrich; Whitney Museum of American Art, Biographical note in catalogue of the Arshile Gorky Memorial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1951
4. ↑ Jeanne Miles, Art Now, co-editor, Ward Jackson; New York, Vol. 1, No. 10, Dec. 1969
5. ↑ Jack Tworkov, “Notes on My Painting,” Art in America (September-October 1973), p. 69
6. ↑ Bruce Altshuler, ‘’The avant-Garde In Exhibition New Art in the 20th Century,’’ New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994, Chap­ter 9, p.171.
7. ↑ ‘’9th Street Art Exhibition’’
8. ↑ ‘’9th Street Art Exhibition’’
9. ↑ New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists, (New York School Press, 2000.) ISBN 0-9677994-0-6, pp.18-33
10. ↑ 9th Street Art Exhibition,
11. ↑ Second Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture,
12. ↑ Third Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture,
13. ↑ Fourth Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture,
14. ↑ Fifth Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture,
15. ↑ New York Artists' 6th Annual Exhibition.
16. ↑ New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists,

* Abstract expressionist art movement in America video documentation project, 1991-1992.