Lee Krasner's 'Living Colour' retrospective at Barbican Art Gallery reveals overlooked artistic evolution

Lee Krasner's first European retrospective in 50 years, 'Living Colour,' runs at Barbican Art Gallery in London from May 30 to September 1, 2019. The exhibition features nearly 100 works spanning her career, challenging her historical overshadowing by her famous husband. Krasner's early self-portraits from 1928 show her penetrating gaze, while works like Untitled (1946) demonstrate her ability to make small canvases feel expansive. By 1955's Bird Talk, she achieved artistic greatness with torn-looking shapes in tangerine, fuchsia, and tan. The 1960 painting The Eye is the First Circle resembles an abstracted Chinese ink drawing with brownish swirls. Her 1965 work Kufic anticipates Brice Marden with mushroom-colored loops. Later pieces like Palingenesis (1971) feature cryptic green and pink shapes, while Olympic (1974) incorporates arrowheads and broken circles. In 1976, she created neo-cubist collages like Future Indicative by cutting up old drawings. The Barbican's split-level layout separates her large Abstract Expressionist works from smaller early pieces. Critics note the exhibition feels incomplete despite its scope, particularly omitting late career developments. The show's organization highlights Krasner's consistent innovation beyond Abstract Expressionist conventions.