Pollock-Krasner House and Studio
Encyclopedia
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
and his wife Lee Krasner
Lee Krasner
Lee Krasner was an influential abstract expressionist painter in the second half of the 20th century. On October 25, 1945, she married artist Jackson Pollock, who was also influential in the Abstract Expressionism movement....
moved to what is now known as the Pollock-Krasner House and Studio in Springs
Springs, New York
Springs is a census-designated place roughly corresponding to the hamlet by the same name in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the hamlet population was 4,950...
in the town of East Hampton
East Hampton (town), New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
on Long Island, New York. The wood-frame house on 1.56 acres (6,313.1 m²) with a nearby barn is on Accobonac Creek.
History
Pollock and Krasner had visited friends nearby when they found this house for sale in 1945. The price was $5,000 and Peggy GuggenheimPeggy Guggenheim
Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim was an American art collector. Born to a wealthy New York City family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with the Titanic in 1912 and the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who would establish the Solomon R...
loaned them the $2,000 down payment in exchange for artwork
At first Pollock used an upstairs bedroom as a studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
. In 1946, after moving the barn to improve the view from the house, Pollock started using that building as his studio. Krasner began using the bedroom as her studio. Pollock's brother had given him a large collection of square Masonite baseball game boards, and in 1953 Pollock used them to cover the floor of the house and studio. After Pollock's death, Krasner started using the barn as her studio.
After Krasner died, the property was given to the Stony Brook Foundation which is administered by State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
. Conservators examined the house and studio. Underneath the Masonite squares, they discovered the original barn floor, covered in stray paint. The foundation schedules tours of the studio and house during the summer.
Part of the property was donated by Krasner to the The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
in the 1970s. The surrounding Springs neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house and studio was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1994.
In popular culture
The house and studio were used in the making of the biopic PollockPollock (film)
Pollock is a 2000 biographical drama film which tells the life story of painter Jackson Pollock. It stars Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Knott, Bud Cort, Molly Regan, Marcia Gay Harden and Sada Thompson.-Plot:...
(2000), starring and directed by Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
.