Category Archives: Abstract Expressionism

On Frank O’Hara and Willem de Kooning

Posted on April 24, 2018 by

Well, I have my beautiful de Kooning to aspire to. I think it has an orange bed in it, more than the ear can hold. — Frank O’Hara, “Radio” Today is the birthday of the great painter Willem de Kooning, … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Frank O'Hara, Influences on the NY School, Jackson Pollock, Visual Art, Willem de Kooning | Leave a comment

Grace Hartigan, Frank O’Hara, and the New York School

Posted on April 14, 2016 by

Burt Glinn, Back Table at the Five Spot (1957), Frank O’Hara, Larry Rivers, Grace Hartigan (l to r) The painter Grace Hartigan (1922-2008) was a central figure in the New York School of poets and artists in the 1950s. Particularly close to Frank O’Hara, … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Book Review, Elaine de Kooning, Frank O'Hara, Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, James Schuyler, Jane Freilicher, Joan Mitchell, John Ashbery, Larry Rivers, Uncategorized, Visual Art

Nick Sturm on Ted Berrigan as Art Critic

Posted on December 7, 2015 by

There is a great new essay up at Fanzine about Ted Berrigan’s little-known art writing by one of my (now former) graduate students, the terrific poet and scholar Nick Sturm.  For months, Sturm has been scouring the Berrigan archives, turning up fascinating … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Alice Neel, Alice Notley, Criticism, Frank O'Hara, James Schuyler, Jane Freilicher, John Ashbery, Ted Berrigan, Visual Art

Ornette Coleman (1930-2015), Frank O’Hara, Amiri Baraka

Posted on June 11, 2015 by

This morning brought the sad news that the groundbreaking jazz musician Ornette Coleman has passed away at 85.  There will surely be many obituaries and testimonials to Coleman’s importance and legacy, but I wanted to just note some the important points of … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Alfred Leslie, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Frank O'Hara, In Memoriam, Jackson Pollock, Jazz, Music, Ornette Coleman, Vincent Warren | 1 Comment

Elaine de Kooning, Frank O’Hara, and the New York School

Posted on April 20, 2015 by

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., is currently hosting a large exhibition devoted to the work of Elaine de Kooning.  De Kooning, like her husband Willem, was a good friend and ally of many poets of the New York School. The show, entitled “Elaine … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Alex Katz, Allen Ginsberg, Art Exhibit, Edwin Denby, Elaine de Kooning, Fairfield Porter, Frank O'Hara, Grace Hartigan, Jane Freilicher, Joan Mitchell, John Ashbery, Merce Cunningham, Visual Art, Willem de Kooning | 1 Comment

A Real Mad, “All-American” Combination: LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka’s Salon

Posted on October 27, 2014 by

Last week, on a trip to the Czech Republic, I had the pleasure of meeting Josef Jařab , one of the most important Czech scholars of American literature.  Jařab is a leading Czech authority on American poetry, and he has translated and written … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Beats, Cecil Taylor, Frank O'Hara, Franz Kline, Jack Kerouac, Jazz, John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, Larry Rivers, Music, Ornette Coleman, Visual Art | 1 Comment

Jed Perl’s Art in America: Frank O’Hara, John Ashbery, and More

Posted on October 8, 2014 by

  The esteemed Library of America has just published a massive new anthology called Art in America 1945–1970: Writings from the Age of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Minimalism, edited by Jed Perl, the art critic for the New Republic. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Abstract Expressionism, Andy Warhol, Book Review, Books, Fairfield Porter, Frank O'Hara, Grace Hartigan, Jack Kerouac, James Schuyler, Jane Freilicher, John Ashbery, Larry Rivers, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Robert Motherwell, Visual Art