The Tragic Generation

The Abstract Expressionists' personal stories were brutal. Pollock died in a drunk-driving crash at 44. Rothko slashed his arms and bled to death in his studio at 66. Arshile Gorky hanged himself at 44. Franz Kline died of heart failure at 51. Alcohol abuse was epidemic.

Abstract Expressionism proved American art could lead the world. Its influence ran from Minimalism to Performance Art, and the gallery and auction power that followed turned New York into the commercial capital of the art market — a role it still holds today.