1 00:00:15,539 --> 00:00:29,059 Speaker 1: Pushkin. In the winter of nineteen forty five, Lee and 2 00:00:29,179 --> 00:00:32,739 Speaker 1: Jackson found themselves about one hundred miles east of New 3 00:00:32,819 --> 00:00:33,299 Speaker 1: York City. 4 00:00:33,979 --> 00:00:37,739 Speaker 2: It was freezing cold. It came in a rainstorm. They 5 00:00:37,779 --> 00:00:40,659 Speaker 2: had a borrowed delivery wagon with all their stuff in it. 6 00:00:41,179 --> 00:00:42,699 Speaker 2: What were they thinking. 7 00:00:44,419 --> 00:00:48,739 Speaker 1: Standing outside an old, dilapidated farmhouse. They pulled on the door, 8 00:00:50,139 --> 00:00:53,499 Speaker 1: it didn't budge. This was meant to be their new home. 9 00:00:54,179 --> 00:00:56,579 Speaker 2: They had forgotten to pick up the key from the realtor, 10 00:00:56,659 --> 00:00:57,619 Speaker 2: so they had to break in. 11 00:01:00,499 --> 00:01:04,499 Speaker 1: This is art historian Helen Harrison I sat down with 12 00:01:04,539 --> 00:01:07,739 Speaker 1: her at this very farmhouse Lee and Jackson moved into 13 00:01:07,979 --> 00:01:12,299 Speaker 1: almost eighty years ago. Helen looked after it for over 14 00:01:12,379 --> 00:01:16,339 Speaker 1: three decades. The house is in the hamlet of Springs 15 00:01:16,499 --> 00:01:20,979 Speaker 1: in the Hampton's. Yeah, that Hampton's, the one that today 16 00:01:21,179 --> 00:01:24,979 Speaker 1: is dotted with millionaire mansions. Madonna has one, so did 17 00:01:25,059 --> 00:01:29,499 Speaker 1: Jay Z and Beyonce. But when Lee and Jackson arrived 18 00:01:29,579 --> 00:01:32,339 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty five, it looked very. 19 00:01:32,139 --> 00:01:39,579 Speaker 2: Different, definitely not the quote unquote Hampton's. It was a 20 00:01:39,699 --> 00:01:45,819 Speaker 2: very quiet backwater, very rural community. Farmers and fisherfolk, mainly 21 00:01:46,019 --> 00:01:49,659 Speaker 2: dairy farms, corn fields and fishing shacks. 22 00:01:51,059 --> 00:01:54,099 Speaker 1: When Lee and Jackson first broke down the door, they 23 00:01:54,099 --> 00:01:55,099 Speaker 1: were in for a shock. 24 00:01:55,539 --> 00:01:57,419 Speaker 2: The house was a bit of a fixer upper. 25 00:01:58,299 --> 00:02:01,779 Speaker 1: Lee looked at the mess around her, wallpaper peeling off, 26 00:02:02,059 --> 00:02:03,219 Speaker 1: junk everywhere. 27 00:02:04,179 --> 00:02:08,219 Speaker 2: Was built for a fisherman's family, and even the fisherman's 28 00:02:08,379 --> 00:02:10,819 Speaker 2: mackin ore was hanging on a hook and the back 29 00:02:10,859 --> 00:02:13,779 Speaker 2: of the door. And they also had no plumbing or 30 00:02:13,819 --> 00:02:14,539 Speaker 2: central heating. 31 00:02:16,339 --> 00:02:19,259 Speaker 1: So why on earth were Lee and Jackson moving here 32 00:02:19,579 --> 00:02:22,659 Speaker 1: from the bohemian Greenwich village. 33 00:02:22,299 --> 00:02:25,459 Speaker 2: To get Jackson on track to give him the kind 34 00:02:25,499 --> 00:02:30,179 Speaker 2: of space that he needed to really function properly. They 35 00:02:30,179 --> 00:02:44,939 Speaker 2: didn't know anybody in the neighborhood. They had no other distractions. 36 00:02:46,419 --> 00:02:50,579 Speaker 1: Two years earlier, Peggy Guggenheim, the biggest dealer in New York, 37 00:02:50,979 --> 00:02:55,019 Speaker 1: had agreed to represent Jackson. Lead managed to convince her, 38 00:02:56,419 --> 00:02:59,339 Speaker 1: and what it meant in practice was that Jackson and 39 00:02:59,419 --> 00:03:03,539 Speaker 1: Lee now had a for them generous stipend of one 40 00:03:03,659 --> 00:03:08,219 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty dollars a month in return for Jackson's paintings. 41 00:03:09,299 --> 00:03:12,339 Speaker 1: He came up with an idea to get out of 42 00:03:12,459 --> 00:03:17,379 Speaker 1: New York City to this farmhouse in Springs to give 43 00:03:17,459 --> 00:03:22,579 Speaker 1: Jackson mental and physical space to create, and it's here 44 00:03:23,099 --> 00:03:25,299 Speaker 1: that he would end up making some of the most 45 00:03:25,379 --> 00:03:31,459 Speaker 1: famous American artworks of all time. I'm Katie Hessel and 46 00:03:31,619 --> 00:03:37,619 Speaker 1: this is Death of an Artist Krasner and Pollock, Episode four, 47 00:03:40,299 --> 00:03:49,579 Speaker 1: Jackson Pollock, Inc. It's nineteen forty five and Lee was 48 00:03:49,579 --> 00:03:55,819 Speaker 1: in a ramshackle farmhouse, surrounded by junk, clambering over fishing equipment, rain, 49 00:03:55,939 --> 00:04:01,139 Speaker 1: slashing the window panes. Thinking about where to even begin, We. 50 00:04:01,179 --> 00:04:04,339 Speaker 3: Did nothing but peer war paper. Every single room in 51 00:04:04,379 --> 00:04:06,299 Speaker 3: the house tavered with war paper. 52 00:04:07,779 --> 00:04:10,899 Speaker 1: Lee and Jackson spent those first few weeks and springs 53 00:04:10,939 --> 00:04:13,819 Speaker 1: clearing the place out. They learned how to use a 54 00:04:13,899 --> 00:04:17,379 Speaker 1: manual pump to get the water going unclogged the chimney, 55 00:04:17,899 --> 00:04:20,659 Speaker 1: worked out how to heat a house with coal, and 56 00:04:20,859 --> 00:04:23,499 Speaker 1: crucially where to hang all their paintings. 57 00:04:23,899 --> 00:04:29,459 Speaker 3: Jackson closed off windows, broke down walls to create space 58 00:04:29,539 --> 00:04:31,499 Speaker 3: to hang paintings. 59 00:04:31,859 --> 00:04:35,539 Speaker 4: When Lee and Jackson arrived, they were perceived as being, 60 00:04:36,659 --> 00:04:40,779 Speaker 4: you know, some of those not us, and a little 61 00:04:40,779 --> 00:04:41,619 Speaker 4: bit strange. 62 00:04:42,059 --> 00:04:46,139 Speaker 1: This is Pruden's Carabine, with family roots here going back 63 00:04:46,179 --> 00:04:47,979 Speaker 1: as far as sixteen forty eight. 64 00:04:48,379 --> 00:04:54,579 Speaker 4: My name is Prudence Talmadge Hamilton Carabine. All of those 65 00:04:54,699 --> 00:04:59,779 Speaker 4: names make me a long term eastchamp to Night. 66 00:05:00,339 --> 00:05:04,099 Speaker 1: An old school hamp Tonight with a big extended family. 67 00:05:05,299 --> 00:05:09,499 Speaker 4: I had probably three hundred cousins living in Springs. You know. 68 00:05:09,539 --> 00:05:11,779 Speaker 4: One was a plumber, one was a carpenter, One did 69 00:05:11,859 --> 00:05:14,819 Speaker 4: landscaping and mowing and that kind of thing. 70 00:05:15,139 --> 00:05:17,699 Speaker 1: Prudence was born a couple of years after Lee and 71 00:05:17,779 --> 00:05:20,619 Speaker 1: Jackson turned up, but her family got to know them 72 00:05:20,659 --> 00:05:21,419 Speaker 1: pretty quickly. 73 00:05:21,699 --> 00:05:25,019 Speaker 4: Well. Jackson's toilet would need work or the plumbing would 74 00:05:25,059 --> 00:05:28,819 Speaker 4: back up. Jackson and Lee moved into a house of 75 00:05:28,899 --> 00:05:35,099 Speaker 4: some age which constantly needed fixing of some way or another. 76 00:05:35,459 --> 00:05:38,939 Speaker 4: They needed plumbing, and they needed electrical, and they needed 77 00:05:39,059 --> 00:05:42,219 Speaker 4: a carpentry, and they needed help in the house. And 78 00:05:42,339 --> 00:05:45,779 Speaker 4: their form of payment from the early days until maybe 79 00:05:45,819 --> 00:05:49,339 Speaker 4: fifty two was a painting, which was a joke. 80 00:05:51,379 --> 00:05:54,899 Speaker 1: Yeah, Jackson and Lee gave out paintings in return for 81 00:05:54,979 --> 00:05:58,939 Speaker 1: plumbing gigs. Their stipend was good, but it wasn't enough 82 00:05:58,939 --> 00:06:00,379 Speaker 1: to cover a house refurbishment. 83 00:06:01,179 --> 00:06:04,419 Speaker 4: And what was he painting? Well, nothing that we would 84 00:06:04,539 --> 00:06:08,099 Speaker 4: understand for those of us who lived here was you know, 85 00:06:08,219 --> 00:06:11,539 Speaker 4: you're getting all these Jackson parlor paintings. What are you 86 00:06:11,539 --> 00:06:14,659 Speaker 4: going to do with them paper your living room. There 87 00:06:14,739 --> 00:06:17,099 Speaker 4: simply was no understanding of what he was trying to 88 00:06:17,099 --> 00:06:17,979 Speaker 4: say with paint. 89 00:06:24,499 --> 00:06:27,819 Speaker 1: Once Lee and Jackson got the basic house functions in order, 90 00:06:28,139 --> 00:06:32,019 Speaker 1: running water heating, they started to think about the most 91 00:06:32,099 --> 00:06:36,939 Speaker 1: important question, where to paint. There was one building on 92 00:06:36,979 --> 00:06:40,779 Speaker 1: the property that they hadn't really tackled yet, a rickety 93 00:06:40,819 --> 00:06:44,939 Speaker 1: storage space used for fishing equipment. It was the biggest 94 00:06:44,979 --> 00:06:48,299 Speaker 1: space they had, twenty one feet by twenty one feet. 95 00:06:50,419 --> 00:06:55,059 Speaker 1: Walking in, Lee could immediately see its potential. It would 96 00:06:55,139 --> 00:07:00,979 Speaker 1: make an incredible painting studio. Together, Lee and Jackson cleared 97 00:07:00,979 --> 00:07:03,939 Speaker 1: it out, gave it a new wooden floor, and cut 98 00:07:03,979 --> 00:07:06,379 Speaker 1: a big window high up in the north wall for 99 00:07:06,539 --> 00:07:11,979 Speaker 1: maximum natural light. As they stood marveling at its transformation, 100 00:07:12,619 --> 00:07:19,659 Speaker 1: Lee made a crucial decision. This barn it should be Jackson's, 101 00:07:19,699 --> 00:07:24,099 Speaker 1: not hers. She would take the small upstairs spare bedroom 102 00:07:24,139 --> 00:07:28,019 Speaker 1: as her studio, a cramped room with thin windows on 103 00:07:28,099 --> 00:07:32,819 Speaker 1: two sides. Lee felt that Jackson needed the big space more. 104 00:07:33,899 --> 00:07:36,939 Speaker 1: After all, that's why they were here in the country 105 00:07:37,219 --> 00:07:42,019 Speaker 1: to get Jackson painting again. Over the past couple of years, 106 00:07:42,219 --> 00:07:46,179 Speaker 1: Jackson's drinking had got even worse, so bad. He wasn't 107 00:07:46,219 --> 00:07:55,019 Speaker 1: even painting much anymore. But soon Lee and Jackson settled 108 00:07:55,019 --> 00:07:59,939 Speaker 1: into their new countryside routine. Here's Helen Harrison, the art 109 00:07:59,979 --> 00:08:01,659 Speaker 1: historian and keeper of the house. 110 00:08:02,659 --> 00:08:04,579 Speaker 2: Jackson was not a morning person. 111 00:08:05,419 --> 00:08:08,339 Speaker 1: I think I could have guessed that, but the mornings 112 00:08:08,459 --> 00:08:09,219 Speaker 1: were Lee's time. 113 00:08:10,579 --> 00:08:12,659 Speaker 2: She had to do some of her own work before 114 00:08:12,699 --> 00:08:15,339 Speaker 2: she had distractions from him. 115 00:08:15,459 --> 00:08:19,339 Speaker 1: In the tiny bedroom, Lee was making kaleidoscopic paintings at 116 00:08:19,339 --> 00:08:24,099 Speaker 1: her tabletop using shods of luminous color. They'd become known 117 00:08:24,339 --> 00:08:25,539 Speaker 1: as her little Images. 118 00:08:26,819 --> 00:08:30,219 Speaker 2: And then she would make breakfast for him around what 119 00:08:30,259 --> 00:08:33,939 Speaker 2: we would think of as lunchtime. He would nurse a 120 00:08:33,939 --> 00:08:37,219 Speaker 2: cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette. Then he would 121 00:08:37,259 --> 00:08:39,339 Speaker 2: go out to the barn and do his work as 122 00:08:39,419 --> 00:08:40,619 Speaker 2: long as the daylight held. 123 00:08:42,779 --> 00:08:45,579 Speaker 1: At the end of the day, Lee would get dinner ready, 124 00:08:45,779 --> 00:08:48,779 Speaker 1: will Jackson might wander down the road to decompress. 125 00:08:49,579 --> 00:08:52,539 Speaker 2: He would go over to what was then called Jungle Pete, 126 00:08:52,699 --> 00:08:53,979 Speaker 2: a local watering hole. 127 00:08:56,299 --> 00:09:00,939 Speaker 1: Jackson was still drinking, but a lot less more to socialize. 128 00:09:01,299 --> 00:09:03,259 Speaker 2: He would hang out with the local guys, you know, 129 00:09:03,339 --> 00:09:05,459 Speaker 2: the plumber and the roofer. 130 00:09:06,259 --> 00:09:08,579 Speaker 1: He also made other kinds of friends. 131 00:09:11,379 --> 00:09:15,499 Speaker 2: When Jackson was first here. He somehow tamed a crow 132 00:09:15,779 --> 00:09:18,419 Speaker 2: that came to the house and he called it corcor 133 00:09:20,339 --> 00:09:23,019 Speaker 2: And we have the bird house that he actually built 134 00:09:23,059 --> 00:09:25,939 Speaker 2: for Corcaw and missus Corkaw, and I guess all the 135 00:09:25,979 --> 00:09:26,659 Speaker 2: little cor. 136 00:09:26,499 --> 00:09:33,299 Speaker 1: Cocks painting all day talking to birds. For the first 137 00:09:33,339 --> 00:09:36,499 Speaker 1: time in years, it felt like Lee and Jackson were 138 00:09:36,539 --> 00:09:44,779 Speaker 1: at peace. They could breathe a little, just have space 139 00:09:45,219 --> 00:09:53,259 Speaker 1: and time to create. One day in late summer nineteen 140 00:09:53,299 --> 00:09:57,179 Speaker 1: forty seven, Lee was painting in her upstairs room when 141 00:09:57,259 --> 00:10:01,419 Speaker 1: Jackson called up to her from the backyard. Mary Gabriel, 142 00:10:01,699 --> 00:10:04,339 Speaker 1: our guide in this series, told me what happened. 143 00:10:04,339 --> 00:10:04,659 Speaker 5: Next. 144 00:10:05,339 --> 00:10:07,259 Speaker 6: He came out to say, you know, come on out, 145 00:10:07,299 --> 00:10:08,259 Speaker 6: I want to show you something. 146 00:10:08,539 --> 00:10:11,259 Speaker 1: Lee dropped her Russia's and went downstairs. 147 00:10:12,019 --> 00:10:14,619 Speaker 6: What he wanted to know from her was just simply, 148 00:10:15,419 --> 00:10:19,179 Speaker 6: does it work? Does this painting that he's just created 149 00:10:19,259 --> 00:10:22,019 Speaker 6: that he doesn't even understand resonate with her. 150 00:10:22,699 --> 00:10:24,779 Speaker 1: She hadn't seen any of his new work for a 151 00:10:24,819 --> 00:10:25,459 Speaker 1: while now. 152 00:10:25,979 --> 00:10:28,939 Speaker 6: He'd been locked away in the barn working all summer, 153 00:10:29,779 --> 00:10:31,859 Speaker 6: and finally decided to invite her in. 154 00:10:33,059 --> 00:10:37,499 Speaker 1: Walking across towards the barn, Lee felt a tingle of excitement. 155 00:10:37,859 --> 00:10:42,139 Speaker 6: Anticipating what she's going to see, knowing that whatever it 156 00:10:42,299 --> 00:10:46,459 Speaker 6: is is something that's never existed before. There's no way 157 00:10:46,459 --> 00:10:50,179 Speaker 6: to prepare yourself for that. It's like meeting a new person. 158 00:10:52,459 --> 00:10:57,579 Speaker 1: Lee opened the door. Jackson stood there, surrounded by half 159 00:10:57,579 --> 00:11:00,499 Speaker 1: filled paint cans and canvasses taped to the floor. 160 00:11:05,379 --> 00:11:11,379 Speaker 6: She walked into a room filled basically with constellations of paint, 161 00:11:12,139 --> 00:11:17,619 Speaker 6: fields of moving color, massive works that Jackson had danced around, 162 00:11:17,819 --> 00:11:20,819 Speaker 6: dripped around, poured paint an What. 163 00:11:20,939 --> 00:11:24,339 Speaker 1: Lee had just walked in on were the earliest versions 164 00:11:24,379 --> 00:11:28,539 Speaker 1: of Jackson's drip paintings. These are what you probably envisage 165 00:11:28,659 --> 00:11:34,499 Speaker 1: when you think of Jackson Pollock, all consuming universes of 166 00:11:34,619 --> 00:11:41,059 Speaker 1: drip paint that dance from edge to edge. These are 167 00:11:41,099 --> 00:11:43,699 Speaker 1: the works that will become some of the most famous 168 00:11:43,739 --> 00:12:04,499 Speaker 1: and valuable paintings in the history of the twentieth century. 169 00:12:07,019 --> 00:12:12,419 Speaker 1: Lee's eyes darted between explode visions of color, fluid black 170 00:12:12,499 --> 00:12:18,459 Speaker 1: swells overlaid with shiny silver paint, thin red lines breaking 171 00:12:18,499 --> 00:12:23,179 Speaker 1: through thick yellow strokes. It looked like Jackson had poured 172 00:12:23,219 --> 00:12:27,059 Speaker 1: paint directly from cans onto the canvases, or dripped it 173 00:12:27,139 --> 00:12:31,619 Speaker 1: from sticks. The only time he'd used a brush was 174 00:12:31,659 --> 00:12:37,459 Speaker 1: to flick little droplets. Lee even spotted cigarette butts and 175 00:12:37,499 --> 00:12:41,579 Speaker 1: coins they'd fallen onto the canvases as Jackson walked all 176 00:12:41,579 --> 00:12:43,739 Speaker 1: over them. 177 00:12:43,979 --> 00:12:48,899 Speaker 6: Lee looked at all of that, surrounded by this cacophony, 178 00:12:49,739 --> 00:12:52,779 Speaker 6: works that were so chaotic and yet controlled in a 179 00:12:52,819 --> 00:12:57,459 Speaker 6: really magnificent way, Works that told the story of the 180 00:12:57,659 --> 00:13:00,739 Speaker 6: chaos that was his mind, but also the universe. 181 00:13:06,659 --> 00:13:10,259 Speaker 1: At this moment in time in nineteen forty sive, no 182 00:13:10,299 --> 00:13:13,459 Speaker 1: one outside a small group was paying much attention to 183 00:13:13,539 --> 00:13:17,939 Speaker 1: Jackson's work, or to modern art at all. Most people 184 00:13:17,979 --> 00:13:21,939 Speaker 1: in America dismissed it as a fad, strange stuff. They 185 00:13:21,979 --> 00:13:25,459 Speaker 1: didn't see the point or beauty in. Lee knew that 186 00:13:25,659 --> 00:13:31,019 Speaker 1: these latest works by Jackson, these drip paintings, deserved widespread attention. 187 00:13:32,419 --> 00:13:35,859 Speaker 1: But how was she going to get that attention? How 188 00:13:35,899 --> 00:13:41,619 Speaker 1: could she change public opinion in America. Lee realized she 189 00:13:41,779 --> 00:13:45,979 Speaker 1: needed help. She needed somebody who could explain to America 190 00:13:46,499 --> 00:13:50,779 Speaker 1: why these paintings were important, someone to help her promote 191 00:13:51,019 --> 00:13:56,899 Speaker 1: Jackson's art, and soon she knew just who to ask. 192 00:13:59,619 --> 00:14:03,299 Speaker 1: One day, a while later, Lee and Jackson were sitting 193 00:14:03,339 --> 00:14:07,099 Speaker 1: around their table in Springs deep in conversation with Lee's 194 00:14:07,219 --> 00:14:14,099 Speaker 1: old friend Clement Greenberg late thirties. He was bulled, a chainsmoker, 195 00:14:14,379 --> 00:14:17,339 Speaker 1: and a heavy drinker, and he would come to play 196 00:14:17,459 --> 00:14:21,539 Speaker 1: a huge role in the rise and fall of Jackson Pollock. 197 00:14:26,179 --> 00:14:29,419 Speaker 6: Clement Greenberg had become one of the most powerful critics 198 00:14:29,459 --> 00:14:32,739 Speaker 6: in the United States. His voice was respected. 199 00:14:33,459 --> 00:14:37,019 Speaker 1: Lee had first met Clem almost a decade before at 200 00:14:37,019 --> 00:14:41,139 Speaker 1: a party in nineteen thirty seven. Back then, he was 201 00:14:41,179 --> 00:14:44,219 Speaker 1: a customs officer for the Port of New York trying 202 00:14:44,259 --> 00:14:47,699 Speaker 1: to learn how to write about art, and Lee introduced 203 00:14:47,739 --> 00:14:51,339 Speaker 1: him to everyone she knew. Clem wanted to be an 204 00:14:51,459 --> 00:14:55,099 Speaker 1: art critic, but back then that wasn't really a job 205 00:14:55,139 --> 00:14:56,619 Speaker 1: that existed in America. 206 00:14:57,139 --> 00:15:00,379 Speaker 6: Newspapers really didn't even employ art critics. They had theater 207 00:15:00,459 --> 00:15:06,859 Speaker 6: critics or literary critics, music critics. Art was so little 208 00:15:06,899 --> 00:15:10,979 Speaker 6: part of the American way of life that it just 209 00:15:11,019 --> 00:15:12,499 Speaker 6: simply wasn't necessary. 210 00:15:13,779 --> 00:15:17,419 Speaker 1: Most people didn't look at contemporary art in the thirties, 211 00:15:18,099 --> 00:15:21,379 Speaker 1: but by the fifties there were more exhibitions of this 212 00:15:21,459 --> 00:15:24,619 Speaker 1: new art and people needed someone to explain it. 213 00:15:24,979 --> 00:15:28,019 Speaker 6: Newspapers and magazines started scrambling to find people to write 214 00:15:28,019 --> 00:15:31,059 Speaker 6: about them. Art critics suddenly became necessary. 215 00:15:31,899 --> 00:15:35,499 Speaker 1: When Jackson had his first solo show in nineteen forty three, 216 00:15:35,819 --> 00:15:37,299 Speaker 1: Lee had invited Clem along. 217 00:15:37,499 --> 00:15:41,299 Speaker 6: Clem was one of the very few who wrote about 218 00:15:41,299 --> 00:15:44,579 Speaker 6: it in a way that showed a real sense of 219 00:15:44,699 --> 00:15:49,459 Speaker 6: understanding and also intrigue that this person was on a 220 00:15:49,539 --> 00:15:52,779 Speaker 6: path and maybe this is the most interesting new American 221 00:15:52,899 --> 00:15:56,619 Speaker 6: artist he had seen. So there's no way Lee wouldn't 222 00:15:56,659 --> 00:16:01,259 Speaker 6: have appreciated that comment and recognized Clem as someone she 223 00:16:01,299 --> 00:16:02,059 Speaker 6: should cultivate. 224 00:16:02,699 --> 00:16:06,459 Speaker 1: When Clem first started out, he wrote for niche publications 225 00:16:06,659 --> 00:16:10,099 Speaker 1: read mainly by other artists, but now he was art 226 00:16:10,099 --> 00:16:14,779 Speaker 1: critic for The Nation, a popular monthly magazine read all 227 00:16:14,939 --> 00:16:18,779 Speaker 1: over America. Lee figured if there was someone who could 228 00:16:18,779 --> 00:16:24,219 Speaker 1: influence wider public opinion, it'd probably be him. 229 00:16:24,459 --> 00:16:28,739 Speaker 6: His voice was aired's most powerful in Jackson's work, was 230 00:16:28,859 --> 00:16:31,379 Speaker 6: at the point where it was going to become the 231 00:16:31,419 --> 00:16:33,859 Speaker 6: most original that he had done. 232 00:16:34,499 --> 00:16:39,139 Speaker 1: Lee realized that timing was just right. They finished their coffee, 233 00:16:39,419 --> 00:16:42,099 Speaker 1: and I like to imagine that's when Lee led Clem 234 00:16:42,179 --> 00:16:45,059 Speaker 1: out to the barn to show him Jackson's latest work, 235 00:16:45,739 --> 00:16:49,339 Speaker 1: what would come to be known as the Drip Paintings. 236 00:16:50,699 --> 00:16:55,419 Speaker 1: He saw in them what Lee had seen, something that 237 00:16:55,459 --> 00:17:01,539 Speaker 1: could change the whole story of art. And so Lee 238 00:17:01,739 --> 00:17:06,299 Speaker 1: made Clem a proposition, a kind of business arrangement. What 239 00:17:06,419 --> 00:17:10,259 Speaker 1: if he would promote Jackson's work to the wider public. 240 00:17:10,619 --> 00:17:13,779 Speaker 6: Making sure that the world knew about this man, Jackson. 241 00:17:13,459 --> 00:17:17,019 Speaker 1: Pollack, and she would be Jackson's agent. 242 00:17:18,659 --> 00:17:21,619 Speaker 6: Lee and Clam were the models of what today we 243 00:17:21,699 --> 00:17:24,739 Speaker 6: take for granted, which is an artist's agent, which is 244 00:17:24,739 --> 00:17:29,419 Speaker 6: a Lee, and an artist's promoter, which was Clem. 245 00:17:29,699 --> 00:17:34,099 Speaker 1: Clem immediately understood what Lee was suggesting that together they 246 00:17:34,099 --> 00:17:37,939 Speaker 1: could make Jackson Pollock the most famous American painter of 247 00:17:38,099 --> 00:17:38,659 Speaker 1: all time. 248 00:17:41,179 --> 00:17:44,139 Speaker 6: Clem and Lee naturally fell into this kind of role 249 00:17:44,819 --> 00:17:48,619 Speaker 6: that today it would almost be known as Jackson Pollock Inc. 250 00:17:52,699 --> 00:17:55,619 Speaker 1: Today, it takes a number of different people to put 251 00:17:55,619 --> 00:18:01,899 Speaker 1: an artist's work out into the world. You need the gallery, writers, curators, critics, advisors, 252 00:18:02,219 --> 00:18:06,419 Speaker 1: a whole team, and Lee, she was way ahead of 253 00:18:06,459 --> 00:18:15,059 Speaker 1: the curve on this. Over the next few months, Lee 254 00:18:15,179 --> 00:18:19,659 Speaker 1: and Clem worked full steam ahead. Lee tried to keep 255 00:18:19,739 --> 00:18:22,979 Speaker 1: Jackson off the booze while fielding calls from collectors and 256 00:18:23,019 --> 00:18:27,499 Speaker 1: dealers and Jackson's new galerist Betty Parsons. Peggy had since 257 00:18:27,499 --> 00:18:30,739 Speaker 1: closed shop in New York and returned to Europe. As 258 00:18:30,779 --> 00:18:34,619 Speaker 1: for Clem, he was constantly thinking about opportunities to write 259 00:18:34,659 --> 00:18:39,659 Speaker 1: about Jackson. In January nineteen forty eight, Jackson had his 260 00:18:39,819 --> 00:18:45,579 Speaker 1: first ever exhibition of the now famous strip paintings. In 261 00:18:45,659 --> 00:18:49,739 Speaker 1: the reaction, it was not good. One member of the 262 00:18:49,739 --> 00:18:55,539 Speaker 1: public called the work quote wallpaper. Another scrawled shit next 263 00:18:55,539 --> 00:18:59,299 Speaker 1: to one painting. But Clem still went out to bat 264 00:18:59,379 --> 00:18:59,939 Speaker 1: for Jackson. 265 00:19:00,739 --> 00:19:04,539 Speaker 6: He had been so bold as to call Jackson the 266 00:19:04,619 --> 00:19:05,779 Speaker 6: greatest in print. 267 00:19:06,859 --> 00:19:10,499 Speaker 1: In his article for the Nation, he wrote, quote, it 268 00:19:10,579 --> 00:19:14,779 Speaker 1: is indeed a mark of Pollock's powerful originality that he 269 00:19:14,819 --> 00:19:18,899 Speaker 1: should present problems in judgment that must await the digestion 270 00:19:19,139 --> 00:19:22,379 Speaker 1: of each new phase of his development before they can 271 00:19:22,419 --> 00:19:27,099 Speaker 1: be solved. Lee also knew nobody was ever going to 272 00:19:27,179 --> 00:19:30,379 Speaker 1: get it straight away, but she trusted the power of 273 00:19:30,459 --> 00:19:34,619 Speaker 1: the Jackson Pollock Inc. Machine, trusted Clem's words to trickle down. 274 00:19:35,219 --> 00:19:38,739 Speaker 6: He his work as a propagandist was significant, and his 275 00:19:38,859 --> 00:19:43,139 Speaker 6: voice was important enough that even mainstream news publications started 276 00:19:43,139 --> 00:19:43,899 Speaker 6: picking up on this. 277 00:19:52,619 --> 00:19:55,899 Speaker 1: A year and a half later, one summer's day, Lee 278 00:19:55,899 --> 00:20:04,259 Speaker 1: got a call. It was Life Magazine. They wanted to 279 00:20:04,299 --> 00:20:06,099 Speaker 1: do an article on Jackson. 280 00:20:06,979 --> 00:20:11,179 Speaker 6: Life magazine was the most widely read magazine in the 281 00:20:11,219 --> 00:20:13,099 Speaker 6: United States at the time. It had a circulation of 282 00:20:13,179 --> 00:20:18,299 Speaker 6: five million. Everybody got this magazine in the most rural 283 00:20:18,379 --> 00:20:22,819 Speaker 6: corners of the country. This was the American publication. To 284 00:20:22,899 --> 00:20:26,979 Speaker 6: have an article on Jackson Pollock in that would be revolutionary. 285 00:20:27,459 --> 00:20:31,899 Speaker 6: It would be introducing this artist who people barely knew of, 286 00:20:32,299 --> 00:20:33,979 Speaker 6: to the entire country. 287 00:20:38,219 --> 00:20:41,099 Speaker 1: On the day of the shoot, Lee was marching around 288 00:20:41,099 --> 00:20:44,619 Speaker 1: the barn trying to get Jackson to pose for the photos, 289 00:20:44,659 --> 00:20:50,259 Speaker 1: brushing the cigarette ash off his denim jacket. He looked tired, nervous, 290 00:20:50,459 --> 00:20:51,219 Speaker 1: and disheveled. 291 00:20:52,139 --> 00:20:56,499 Speaker 6: Lee's role in the Life photo session and later in 292 00:20:56,539 --> 00:21:02,059 Speaker 6: the interview was very much that of Jackson Pollock's manager agent. 293 00:21:03,739 --> 00:21:06,899 Speaker 1: Lee persuaded Jackson to shuffle himself in front of the 294 00:21:06,979 --> 00:21:08,779 Speaker 1: latest painting he'd been working on. 295 00:21:09,299 --> 00:21:13,259 Speaker 6: A painting called Summertime, which was a very long, narrow 296 00:21:13,379 --> 00:21:18,179 Speaker 6: painting that almost looked like a musical score. Jackson leaned 297 00:21:18,219 --> 00:21:22,779 Speaker 6: against the painting in his denim jacket, paint splattered clothes, 298 00:21:23,099 --> 00:21:26,419 Speaker 6: with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, the ultimate 299 00:21:26,539 --> 00:21:27,499 Speaker 6: macho American. 300 00:21:34,699 --> 00:21:38,579 Speaker 1: The photo shoot was awkward, but the interview was even worse. 301 00:21:40,339 --> 00:21:43,339 Speaker 6: It was actually Lee doing much of the talking, because 302 00:21:43,459 --> 00:21:47,219 Speaker 6: Jackson was so tongue tied, he was so terrified that 303 00:21:47,299 --> 00:21:50,339 Speaker 6: he wasn't actually able to speak. And so Lee did 304 00:21:50,379 --> 00:21:53,939 Speaker 6: the role that she had whenever gallery owners would come, 305 00:21:53,979 --> 00:21:56,419 Speaker 6: whenever collectors would come to look at his work, She 306 00:21:56,459 --> 00:21:57,539 Speaker 6: could do it in her sleep. 307 00:22:04,699 --> 00:22:09,019 Speaker 1: A few weeks later, a bundle of magazines arrived at 308 00:22:09,019 --> 00:22:15,219 Speaker 1: the h Lee tore it open, took out Life magazine, 309 00:22:16,139 --> 00:22:22,419 Speaker 1: and nervously flicked to the centerfold. Lee read the headline, 310 00:22:23,019 --> 00:22:26,739 Speaker 1: is he the greatest living painter in the United States? 311 00:22:27,659 --> 00:22:30,219 Speaker 1: Above it was a photo of Jackson. 312 00:22:33,139 --> 00:22:37,539 Speaker 6: He was Marilyn Brando. He was a working guy. He 313 00:22:37,699 --> 00:22:42,419 Speaker 6: had calloused hands, and no regard whatsoever for the elitism 314 00:22:42,539 --> 00:22:47,219 Speaker 6: usually associated with artists. You know, in American minds, an 315 00:22:47,379 --> 00:22:51,299 Speaker 6: artist was somebody who wore berets and spoke French. Jackson 316 00:22:51,419 --> 00:22:55,739 Speaker 6: Pollock showed that an American artist could be a man 317 00:22:55,819 --> 00:22:57,579 Speaker 6: who looked like he worked at a gas station. 318 00:23:00,059 --> 00:23:03,699 Speaker 1: This was it exactly what Lee had been working towards. 319 00:23:05,339 --> 00:23:08,259 Speaker 1: It was why she'd wanted to move out here, why 320 00:23:08,339 --> 00:23:13,139 Speaker 1: she'd fought so hard to keep him sober, why she'd 321 00:23:13,179 --> 00:23:18,299 Speaker 1: sacrificed her own work. Jackson was no longer a nobody 322 00:23:18,659 --> 00:23:20,739 Speaker 1: connected with a niche art movement. 323 00:23:22,699 --> 00:23:26,459 Speaker 6: The country was talking about Jackson. He had actually become 324 00:23:26,579 --> 00:23:31,579 Speaker 6: the most talked about artist in America. He was American. 325 00:23:31,739 --> 00:23:41,699 Speaker 1: Eric Lee's project Jackson Pollock, Inc. Was a triumph for 326 00:23:41,859 --> 00:23:48,259 Speaker 1: now Ever since Jackson had become the Life magazine painter, 327 00:23:48,619 --> 00:23:54,099 Speaker 1: there had been an explosion of press interest, interviews, articles, photos. 328 00:23:54,539 --> 00:23:57,819 Speaker 1: It had all done wonders for Lee and Jackson's bottom line. 329 00:23:58,339 --> 00:24:01,099 Speaker 1: They'd sold around two thirds of the paintings from their 330 00:24:01,179 --> 00:24:05,659 Speaker 1: last show, with buyers including everyone from Wall Street sliquors 331 00:24:05,739 --> 00:24:10,819 Speaker 1: to Hollywood actors. Jackson's star had risen, and now he 332 00:24:10,939 --> 00:24:14,019 Speaker 1: was set to appear in his very own film, a 333 00:24:14,019 --> 00:24:18,379 Speaker 1: film showing him making his trip paintings in action. In 334 00:24:18,419 --> 00:24:22,059 Speaker 1: the fall of nineteen fifty, Lee watched Jackson in the yard, 335 00:24:22,499 --> 00:24:26,219 Speaker 1: posing in front of yet another camera as a director 336 00:24:26,499 --> 00:24:31,179 Speaker 1: called cut. Hardly any other artist had been filmed like this, 337 00:24:31,819 --> 00:24:34,539 Speaker 1: and Lee felt a film was the perfect vehicle to 338 00:24:34,619 --> 00:24:37,579 Speaker 1: maximize Jackson's visibility to a broader public. 339 00:24:38,859 --> 00:24:42,659 Speaker 5: Jackson was supposed to pay on cue, but Jackson wasn't 340 00:24:42,659 --> 00:24:43,899 Speaker 5: a performance artist. 341 00:24:44,339 --> 00:24:48,699 Speaker 1: This is art historian Professor Gail Levin, Lee's biographer. 342 00:24:49,619 --> 00:24:52,379 Speaker 5: He wasn't used to performing in front of an audience, 343 00:24:52,579 --> 00:24:56,739 Speaker 5: much less a camera. Is painting usually solitary in his studio. 344 00:24:57,299 --> 00:25:00,259 Speaker 5: Maybe he posed for a still, but to be filmed 345 00:25:00,659 --> 00:25:01,979 Speaker 5: this is really invasive. 346 00:25:06,619 --> 00:25:09,579 Speaker 1: They'd been filming for a number of days, and Lee 347 00:25:09,579 --> 00:25:14,059 Speaker 1: could see Jackson become increasingly moody and withdrawn, like he 348 00:25:14,139 --> 00:25:16,779 Speaker 1: wanted to get away from it all, away from all 349 00:25:16,779 --> 00:25:21,179 Speaker 1: this press. Lee left the chute and headed back into 350 00:25:21,179 --> 00:25:24,139 Speaker 1: the warmth of the house. She needed to cook for 351 00:25:24,179 --> 00:25:27,419 Speaker 1: a party they were hosting that night, a party to 352 00:25:27,539 --> 00:25:29,499 Speaker 1: celebrate Jackson's upcoming show. 353 00:25:30,659 --> 00:25:33,219 Speaker 5: They were having a big dinner party with good friends 354 00:25:33,219 --> 00:25:33,419 Speaker 5: of his. 355 00:25:35,299 --> 00:25:41,499 Speaker 1: At some point Jackson arrived. Lee felt the room go 356 00:25:41,619 --> 00:25:45,699 Speaker 1: quiet as he pushed everyone aside and headed straight for 357 00:25:45,779 --> 00:25:46,739 Speaker 1: the drink's cabinet. 358 00:25:47,419 --> 00:25:50,939 Speaker 5: He pulls a bottle of liquor out. Lord knows why 359 00:25:50,939 --> 00:25:53,419 Speaker 5: it was in the house, but I guess they offered 360 00:25:53,459 --> 00:25:54,019 Speaker 5: it to others. 361 00:25:54,819 --> 00:25:58,139 Speaker 1: Lee knew Jackson had been strained lately, but she hadn't 362 00:25:58,219 --> 00:25:58,899 Speaker 1: predicted this. 363 00:25:59,739 --> 00:26:03,179 Speaker 5: He hasn't been drinking for two years, and he starts 364 00:26:03,179 --> 00:26:06,499 Speaker 5: bolting it down for Jackson to really decide he's going 365 00:26:06,579 --> 00:26:09,059 Speaker 5: to drink. This is big trouble. 366 00:26:10,499 --> 00:26:14,219 Speaker 1: Lee ushered everyone through to the dinner table. Maybe food 367 00:26:14,219 --> 00:26:14,899 Speaker 1: would help. 368 00:26:15,259 --> 00:26:19,419 Speaker 5: And he's drinking and drinking and they're all around the table. 369 00:26:23,979 --> 00:26:30,099 Speaker 5: Pollock just upsets everything by turning the table onto the floor. 370 00:26:31,619 --> 00:26:36,859 Speaker 1: Nobody said a word. Jackson laughed and he. 371 00:26:37,419 --> 00:26:42,419 Speaker 5: Quips, shit, I wasn't upset. The table was as the 372 00:26:42,499 --> 00:26:46,539 Speaker 5: remains of the specially prepared dinner were left on the floor. 373 00:26:55,899 --> 00:26:58,859 Speaker 1: After that night, things would never be the same for 374 00:26:58,979 --> 00:26:59,899 Speaker 1: Lee and Jackson. 375 00:27:00,619 --> 00:27:04,699 Speaker 5: Pollock was dragging her down a very black, deep hole 376 00:27:05,339 --> 00:27:07,579 Speaker 5: where he would have these sessions where he would drink 377 00:27:07,659 --> 00:27:11,619 Speaker 5: himself into oblivion. There was no support system. It was 378 00:27:11,699 --> 00:27:12,179 Speaker 5: all on. 379 00:27:12,139 --> 00:27:24,899 Speaker 1: Lee coming up. In a desperate attempt to bring Jackson 380 00:27:24,979 --> 00:27:28,419 Speaker 1: back from the brink, Lee turns to Clement Greenberg for help, 381 00:27:28,899 --> 00:27:32,739 Speaker 1: and he recommends his own therapist from a mysterious group 382 00:27:32,779 --> 00:27:37,059 Speaker 1: of psychotherapists who lived together in New York's Upper West Side. 383 00:27:37,579 --> 00:27:41,339 Speaker 5: They literally had people living in communes. They were controlling 384 00:27:41,459 --> 00:27:44,299 Speaker 5: who they could sleep with, all kinds of things. It 385 00:27:44,419 --> 00:27:46,739 Speaker 5: became known as the Selavanian cult. 386 00:27:48,499 --> 00:27:52,299 Speaker 1: Pollen was told don't worry about your drinking, having affairs, 387 00:27:52,379 --> 00:27:56,459 Speaker 1: and finding a new sex partner was a good idea. 388 00:27:56,579 --> 00:28:00,939 Speaker 5: Sending Jackson to a Salavanian therapist was the kiss of death. 389 00:28:01,099 --> 00:28:02,899 Speaker 5: As far as I'm concerned. 390 00:28:05,019 --> 00:28:14,099 Speaker 1: That's next time on Death of an Artist. Death of 391 00:28:14,099 --> 00:28:18,259 Speaker 1: an Artist Krasner and Pollock is produced by Pushkin Industries 392 00:28:18,339 --> 00:28:23,339 Speaker 1: and samasdat Audio. Clem Hitchcock is our producer. Story editing 393 00:28:23,619 --> 00:28:28,979 Speaker 1: by Dasherlitz at Sina, Sophie Crane and Karen Schakerji from Pushkin. 394 00:28:29,219 --> 00:28:33,659 Speaker 1: The executive producer is Jacob Smith from samasdaut Audio. The 395 00:28:33,779 --> 00:28:38,859 Speaker 1: executive producers are Dasherlitz at Sena and Joe Sykes. Sound 396 00:28:38,899 --> 00:28:43,939 Speaker 1: design by Peregrin Andrews. Original scoring and our theme were 397 00:28:43,979 --> 00:28:49,659 Speaker 1: composed by Martin Orstwick. Fact checking by Arthur Gompertz. Special 398 00:28:49,699 --> 00:28:53,339 Speaker 1: thanks to Jacob Weissberg. I'm Katie Hessel.