Rosalyn Drexler's Legacy Celebrated in New York: Whitney Display, Garth Greenan Exhibition, and Fashion Tribute

This fall, New York City hosts a resurgence of interest in Rosalyn Drexler, the multifaceted artist who died last year at ninety-eight. At the Whitney Museum, her 1963 painting "Marilyn Pursued by Death" is on view in the seventh-floor galleries among recent acquisitions. In SoHo, Garth Greenan Gallery, representing Drexler's estate, presents a major exhibition of her 1960s paintings through October 24th, featuring collage works that infuse Pop art with violence and feminist themes. The show includes over forty paintings and drawings, plus source materials and vitrines with notebooks and ephemera. Fashion designer Rachel Comey's Spring/Summer 2027 collection, shown at Judson Memorial Church, was inspired by Drexler's experimental spirit, with garments reflecting her bold colors and wrestling-era details. Additionally, the documentary "Who Does She Think She Is?" (1975) screens at Anthology Film Archives on October 22nd. Drexler's 1974 novel "The Cosmopolitan Girl" has been reissued by Hagfish, following last year's reissue of "To Smithereens." Drexler's diverse career included painting, playwriting (Obie awards), comedy writing (Emmy), professional wrestling as Rosa Carlo, and novelizations under the pen name Julia Sorel. Born Rosalyn Bronznick in 1926 in the Bronx, she was married to painter Sherman Drexler for sixty-eight years. Her work continues to resonate for its fearless experimentation and feminist undercurrents.