ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Philip Guston's Shift to New Figuration in the 1960s

artist · 2026-04-24

Philip Guston, a founder of the New York School alongside Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, and Jackson Pollock in the 1950s, underwent a stylistic transformation during the 1960s. By the end of that decade, he had become one of the most renowned and respected artists of his generation, moving from Abstract Expressionism toward a new figurative approach.

Key facts

  • Philip Guston was a founder of the New York School in the 1950s.
  • He worked alongside Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, and Jackson Pollock.
  • During the 1960s, Guston shifted to a new figurative style.
  • By the late 1960s, he was one of the most famous and respected artists of his generation.

Entities

Artists

  • Philip Guston
  • Willem de Kooning
  • Mark Rothko
  • Franz Kline
  • Jackson Pollock

Institutions

  • New York School

Sources