“Abstract Expressionism” at the Parrish: new exhibition traces the movement’s birth on the East End

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, opened yesterday, September 27, the exhibition “Abstract Expressionism: The East End, 1940 to Today,” which will remain open until February 14, 2027, according to the museum’s official announcement.

The exhibition traces how the Abstract Expressionist movement flourished on Long Island’s East End — an area that for centuries has been a center of artistic innovation and cultural exchange.

At the heart of the exhibition is the story of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, who set up their home and studio in Springs in the mid-20th century. Their decision to settle on the South Fork inspired an entire generation of New York School painters — among them Elaine and Willem de Kooning, James Brooks and Charlotte Park — who began spending time on the East End in the 1940s, with some settling there year-round.

The exhibition is part of the PARRISH USA250 cycle, through which the museum marks the 250th anniversary of the United States via the East End’s role in shaping American artistic identity, under the motto “Liberty and Freedom of Expression.”

The works on display include names such as Mary Abbott, James Brooks, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Esteban Vicente and Marina Adams. Among the highlights is Elaine de Kooning’s “Juarez” (circa 1959), an oil on paper painting from the museum’s collection.

With this exhibition, the Parrish celebrates not only the legacy of Abstract Expressionism but also the generations of artists who continue to find inspiration in the East End’s landscape and artistic community.