Revisiting the Pollock Myth: The Canon of American Modernism and the Museum of Modern Art's 1957 Retrospective
Mazzeo, Annalaura
Mazzeo, Annalaura
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Abstract
This thesis examines the critical role of the 1957 Museum of Modern Art retrospective of Jackson Pollock, organized by Associate Curator Sam Hunter. It focuses on the ways in which this retrospective solidified the position of Pollock within the canon of American Modernism. The exhibition included thirty-five oil paintings, and a few watercolors and drawings shown publicly for the first time, ranging from the period 1938 to 1956 but concentrating on the last decade of Pollock's career. Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) was, here, celebrated as the premier example of Abstract Expressionism. Building on the curatorial strategies utilized at the retrospective, this research investigates how the exhibition framed Pollock's work, especially Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), to solidify his status as a leading figure in Abstract Expressionism, to the point of becoming synonymous with the heterogenous movement as a whole. Moreover, it goes into the 1998–99 MoMA retrospective, curated by Kirk Varnedoe and Pepe Karmel, which provided an opportunity to reassess Pollock’s work with new analytical and technical approaches, while still reinforcing the museum’s original narrative. While much of the copious scholarship on the artist focuses on his psychological struggles, this thesis instead investigates the institutional role that MoMA played in creating the "Pollock myth." It argues that, through deliberate curatorial decisions, MoMA contributed to a larger American Modernism narrative, still relevant today, by making his work iconic. This thesis is heavily reliant on primary sources, which include press releases and interviews as well as contemporary art criticism, especially by Harold Rosenberg and Clement Greenberg. Their early writings about the movement framed initial interpretations of Pollock's work. Harold Rosenborg saw Jackson Pollock's work as existential action, emphasizing the process of painting as a dramatic, psychological event. reflecting freedom and personal struggle. Clement Greenberg, however, praised Pollock's formal iii innovations as the culmination of modernist abstraction where form and process become content. Later perspectives provided by Rosalind Krauss. Meyer Shapiro, Kirk Varnedoe and Francis Frascina, most notably, question the artist's place within the movement and his role in American High Modernism. Ultimately, through careful analysis of these sources, this thesis aims to bring a fresh perspective on this particular exhibition and its foundational role in establishing the Pollock myth. By critically examining how MoMA's 1957 retrospective on Jackson Pollock helped reposition New York as the center of modern art, it challenges traditional Cold War narratives that identified the New York School, and Pollock in particular. as proof of American freedom and individualism.
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Thesis (B.A. in Art History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2025.
Date
2025
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Jackson Pollock, 1912-1956, Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)
Citation
Mazzeo, Annalaura. "Revisiting the Pollock Myth: The Canon of American Modernism and the Museum of Modern Art's 1957 Retrospective. BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.