Renowned artist Jackson Pollock had a special relationship with the Guggenheim Museum, which is why it will be the first place in New York to show his famous “Mural” painting in over 20 years.
In fact, Pollock worked in maintenance at the museum at one point (back then it was called the Museum of Non-Objective Painting), but collector Peggy Guggenheim saw his talent and ended up giving him a four year-long contract so he could devote all his time to painting.
His famous colorful “Mural” painting was actually commissioned by Peggy herself, not for the museum collection, but for the entry hall of her own Manhattan townhouse in 1943. It was before his first solo exhibition (held at her own museum/gallery Art of This Century), and was his very first large-scale painting, at almost twenty feet wide by eight feet high.
The new exhibit devoted to the mural, called “Away from the Easel,” will be on display at the Upper East Side museum from October 3, 2020–September 19, 2021.
It also marked a “pivotal moment in the evolution of Pollock’s artistic style,” according to the museum, as with this painting he began to move into more abstract art styles and non-traditional painting techniques (like his signature “drip” method).
It’s coming to New York after undergoing an extensive restoration and research project at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Since it’s been more than 20 years, who knows when you’ll be able to see it again, so be sure to get there while you can! You must reserve tickets in advance online. The museum is located at 1071 5th Ave.
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featured image source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston