The Life and Work of Abstract Expressionist Lee Krasner: A Biographer’s View

Art historian and scholar Gail Levin will join us for the third talk in our spring Muscarelle Explorations series, Modern Masters at the Margins.

Lee Krasner once said, “I think my painting is so autobiographical, if anyone can take the trouble to read it.” Her friend and biographer, art historian Gail Levin, who first interviewed the artist when she was a twenty-two year-old graduate student, guides us on an illustrated journey from Krasner’s birth in 1908 Brooklyn to her love of nature on the Eastern End of New York’s Long Island. Levin will not only give art historical analysis, but she will share some of the insights she gained traveling to Krasner’s parents’ hometown in Ukraine in 2010 ; meeting the family of Krasner’s first companion, the Russian émigré, Igor Pantuhoff; interviewing Krasner’s friends like playwright Edward Albee; and even learning from Krasner how to cook some of her favorite foods.

This talk will take place in Tucker Theater on the first floor of Tucker Hall. Register to receive a parking pass via email. Street parking is also available on Richmond Road.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Gail Levin is Distinguished Professor of Art History, American Studies, and Women’s Studies at The Graduate Center and Baruch College of the City University of New York. The acknowledged authority on the American realist painter Edward Hopper, she is author of many books and articles on this artist, including the catalogue raisonné and Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography. Her work on twentieth century and contemporary art has won international acclaim, been widely published, and translated in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Articles range from theory of artists’ biographies to explorations of the intersection of American and Asian cultural studies. She has also focused on the art of Jewish women artists in historical context. Her interest in women artists led to biographies of Judy Chicago (2007; 2018) and of Lee Krasner (2011; 2019). Her project, Theresa Bernstein: A Century in Art, included a book, (2013) a comprehensive website, and a touring exhibition; it was the product of her collaboration with several scholars including her doctoral students at the Graduate Center. Gail Levin is not only a curator, but also shows her own work as an artist and photographer.