The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Arshile Gorky (1904–1948) was a seminal figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement. His drawings are beautiful, complex, and sensual creations, the products of a technical mastery that bespoke a new power of abstraction within modern art. They are also pivotal to the understanding of his art and play a major part in the development and realization of his paintings. This exhibition catalogue focuses on how Gorky’s drawings function both in relation to his paintings and as individual works of art. Gorky’s changing styles and precise approaches to drawing are discussed in detail and contrasted with the spontaneous and direct execution generally associated with Abstract Expressionism.