Pollock & de Kooning $500 Mil Sale

Willem de Kooning in His Studio, Smithsonian Institution Archives

The largest sale of contemporary art ever made was reported last week. And the artists both lived and worked in Springs. Billionaire Chicago-based hedge funder Ken Griffin is said to have purchased the artwork of abstract expressionists Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning from David Geffen's foundation for the sum of $500 million in a private sale. The deal is a record for both artists, and the largest sale of contemporary art of all time. The works of art purchased were de Kooning's 1955 oil on canvas "Interchanged" and Pollock's 1948 canvas "Number 17A." Both paintings are now on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago. The de Kooning piece is believed to be the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold. Here, we take a look back at both artists, and the small hamlet of Springs where they created a rich artistic history. Springs is known as the epicenter of the abstract expressionist movement, with artists like Pollock, de Kooning, Lee Krasner, and John Ferren living and creating in the hamlet. The Post-World War II art movement put New York on the map as the center of the western art world. Many artists were attracted to the natural light and the area's rural nature. Property values in Springs were also lower than those closer to the ocean in East Hampton.

Photographer Hans Namuth extensively documented Pollock's unique painting techniques.

Both Pollock and de Kooning were a part of The New York School, an informal group of American artists (painters, poets, dancers, musicians) in the mid 1900s in New York City. Pollock was known for his individual style of drip painting. In 1945, he married the painter Lee Krasner and moved out of the city to Springs. With the help of art collector Peggy Guggenheim, they bought a wood-frame house and barn at 830 Springs Fireplace Road. The barn was converted into Pollock's studio. This space is where he perfected his technique, with which he is permanently identified. Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety as a major artist of his generation. Pollock struggled with alcoholism. He died in an alcohol-related car crash on Springs Fireplace Road in 1956. The 2000 film Pollock, depicts the story of his life, with Ed Harris as the title character. The film was shot in Springs and includes landmarks such as Pollock's house and studio and the Springs General Store. "Every so often, a painter has to destroy painting. Cézanne did it. Picasso did it with Cubism. Then Pollock did it. He busted our idea of a picture all to hell. Then there could be new paintings again," de Kooning once said of Pollock, according to www.artsy.net.

Pollock's studio in Springs

The Pollock-Krasner House and Studio is now run by Stony Brook University and open to the public for tours, which include Pollock's studio where paint splattered on the floor and walls evoke Pollock's signature work. According to de Kooning's obituary in the New York Times he had moved to East Hampton to escape interruptions that came with his escalating fame. He had first come to Springs in 1948 to visit Pollock and Krasner. "I like to go out when I feel like it, maybe for an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon, and I like to ride around without being bothered," said de Kooning, speaking of the hamlet.

de Kooning's Woman III, (1953)

de Kooning led the 1950s art world to a new level with his abstract paintings. He "never fully abandoned the depiction of the human figure" stated theartstory.org. His well-known Woman series represents some of his most recognized works. "From 1940 to the present, Woman has manifested herself in de Kooning's paintings and drawings as at once the focus of desire, frustration, inner conflict, pleasure," wrote art critic Harold Rosenberg. The female figure was a significant symbol for de Kooning's art, career, and life. In 1943 he married Elaine de Kooning, also an abstract expressionist. De Kooning died in 1997 at the age of 92 in East Hampton. Both Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were major contributors to our local history. Springs continues to be an art hub today with frequent exhibitions at Ashawagh Hall, The Pollock-Krasner House, and The Fireplace Project. The area is home to an array of artists, both established and up-and-coming.