Lee Krasner (1908-1984), American painter and collage artist, served as an important inspiration to contemporary women artists. A major figure in the Abstract Expressionist milieux, she successfully extended the New York School sensibility into the present.

Lee (Lenore) Krasner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 27, 1908, to Russian emigre parents, Joseph and Anna Krasner (Krassner). By the time of her graduation from public elementary school in 1922 she had shown strong inclinations toward the arts. She spent most of her secondary education at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, where she devoted three years to a major in art. Krasner attended the Women's Art School of Cooper Union from 1926 through 1929, followed by a short period at the Art Student's League. From 1929 to 1932 she continued working at the National Academy of Design where, upon her first trips to the newly established Museum of Modern Art, Krasner encountered and was...