In collaboration with the Charles Pollock Archives, Paris, Jason McCoy Gallery is pleased to present American Letters 1927-1947: Jackson Pollock & Family, an exhibition comprising painting, sculpture, works on paper, photographs and letters. The exhibition celebrates this year’s release of the book with the same title (Polity Press, April 2011), a compilation of the personal correspondence between the five Pollock brothers (Charles, Marvin Jay, Frank, Sanford and Jackson), their parents, and wives.

While making a significant contribution to the literature on Jackson Pollock, American Letters also provides an intimate overview of the unique social, political, and intellectual currents of an era devastated by the Great Depression and the Second World War. Through fragmented accounts of several individuals a somewhat cohesive tale emerges that introduces a family who, despite long distances and financial hardships, remained united and engaged with the world.

Paying homage to the publication, Jackson Pollock & Family: American Letters 1927-1947 does not aim to serve as a historic exhibition. Instead, it is conceived as a vignette, taking inspiration from the content provided by the letters. While artworks by Jackson and Charles Pollock dominate the installation, further examples by artists, who influenced both brothers during their formative years are provided. The latter include Thomas Hart Benton, teacher and close friend to both Charles and Jackson, his wife Rita Benton, as well as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco.

Though much has been written about the life and work of Jackson Pollock, little remains known about his roots and years preceding his success. In texts, we usually first encounter him in New York towards the mid-1940s, when he met his future wife Lee Krasner and his first art dealer Peggy Guggenheim. But where did Jackson Pollock come from? Who was his family and what cultural context represented his background; his backbone? By making public previously unpublished letters to and from Jackson, American Letters provides an unabashed view of the artist’s personal, historical, and emotional realities – for the first time in his own words. By honoring the unique tone of the book, this exhibition should be understood as an invitation to dive deeper into the subject matter.