A selection of little-known paintings from Eastern Europe will be presented at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in East Hampton, New York, from August 3 through October 28. “Abstract Expressionism Behind the Iron Curtain” is a highly unusual exhibition that addresses a contrarian aspect of artistic expression in Eastern Europe during the Cold War period, when official art in Soviet bloc countries was strictly regulated and was required to adhere to Communist Party doctrine.
In spite of such restrictions, however, there were artists who were aware of developments in contemporary abstract art — either through personal travel and contact with artists in the West or via international exhibitions — and responded to those trends, creating bodies of very personal work that was not officially sanctioned.
The intent of this exhibition is to broaden the context of international modernism by exposing works seldom seen in the United States, showing that Abstract Expressionism was influential beyond the familiar American and Western European ambit. The artists are Andrej Jemec (Slovenia), Tadeusz Kantor (Poland), Jan Kotík (Czechoslovakia), Edo Murtić (Croatia) and Romul Nuțiu (Romania). Each artist will be represented by paintings that illustrate his adaptation of an Abstract Expressionist approach seen in relation to American precedents and contemporaneous European trends.
“Abstract Expressionism Behind the Iron Curtain” was organized by Helen A. Harrison, director of the Pollock-Krasner House, in consultation with Joana Grevers, director of the Fundatia Joana Grevers in Munich, Germany.
Museum Hours
Open May through October on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1 pm to 5 pm. Admission: adults $5; members, children under 12, SUNY/CUNY students, faculty and staff (with ID) free. Call 631-324-4929 (631) 324-4929 for more information.
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