How Did Jackson Pollock Become an Art Icon?

Much has been written and said about Jackson Pollock. His art still evokes strong emotions. How did an alienated truant with unfinished homework become one of the most recognizable painters in the world? Pollock’s example shows that good publicity combined with talent can work wonders, even 68 years after his death.

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For most of his life, he was a poor artist struggling with alcoholism, whose art no one understood. He also didn’t find success in other “free” professions. He couldn’t even keep a poorly paid job as a janitor or a lumberjack. Rejected by the military and not resonating with collectors, Pollock quickly achieved posthumous success, and his wife Lee Krasner was “to blame.”

Called America’s favorite artist, Jackson Pollock was often irritable and had several nervous breakdowns. He was a partner for whom little else mattered besides work. But it was he who created action painting and a new dimension of contemporary art. The painting “№5,” created in 1948, sold for a staggering $140 million. Until 2011, no work had sold for more than Pollock’s.