Abstract expressionism

What is abstract expressionism?

Abstract expressionism is the movement of post-war American abstraction — painting that does not depict particular things but works with colour, gesture and surface as its principal statement. Artists here transfer an inner state and energy onto the canvas rather than visible reality. What could be more direct than looking at a painting and feeling it before you begin to interpret it at all?

When and how did it come about?

The movement was born after 1945, that is, after the Second World War, and is associated with a marked shift in art's centre of gravity. It was thanks to it that New York took over the role of centre of the art world, which Paris had held until then. It was the moment the American scene first stepped to the head of events.

Who are its most important figures?

The key names of the movement are Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Pollock became famous for splashing paint directly onto canvas laid on the floor, while Rothko is known for large fields of radiant colour. Each of them showed that abstraction can be as powerful and as individual as figurative painting.

How does it do on the art market, and is it worth collecting?

Abstract expressionism is among the strongest and at the same time the most expensive segments of the art market. Works by Pollock and Rothko are among the most valuable things one can acquire in post-war art, and their position at the top is stable over the long term. For a collector it is one of the most prestigious chapters of the twentieth century, albeit one operating at very high price levels.

— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club