Jackson Pollock: Artists in the Hamptons self-guided driving tour
The Springs area of East Hampton was home to many abstract expressionist artists, including Jackson Pollock and Willem DeKooning. This lovely drive will show you their homes and the beautiful vistas that replenish their creativity. You’ll see charming farmhouses, rolling meadows, and three of the most beautiful bay beaches in the Hamptons.
Tip: To make the most of your outing, you may want to first…
Watch the movie Pollock, which is based on the Pulitzer prize winning biography of the artist. In the film you’ll see the Springs General store, the interior and exterior of Jackson Pollock’s house and Ashawagh Hall.
Read at least part of Ninth Street Women. I say “part of” because this amazing book is so thick, and its print so small, that it took me six months to make my way through just the first third of it. But it is worth it. The book provides an astonishingly revealing, intimate window into the personal and professional lives of Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Elaine and Willem DeKooning, and other abstract expressionists.
Start at …
The Lieber Collection
446 Old Stone Highway
Visit the museum, or take a stroll around the surrounding sculpture garden.
Handbag designer Judith Leiber and her artist husband, Gerson Leiber built this elegant little museum on the grounds of their former home. The Leibers lived and worked together – she did the designing and he handled the business end of the company. They also died together, passing just hours apart from each other in their house here, she at age 97 and he at 96. The museum and grounds are open to the public, but the house is now privately owned. A visit to the sculpture garden they established is free and there is a minimal fee to enter the museum. To read more about her, click here. To read about him, click here.
Directions: Exit the driveway, turn left onto Old Stone Highway, and drive .029 miles to Louse Point Rd. (the third street on the right). Turn right. At the end of the road you will reach…
Louse Point Town Beach
112 Louse Point Rd.
Willem DeKooning’s painting Rosy-Fingered Dawn at Louse Point was his first work to be acquired by a European museum. In nice weather, he would bike here every day from his nearby home..
Note: You need an East Hampton town permit to park here. If you are a huge DeKooning fan, you may want to put the following into your GPS.
Willem DeKooning’s house
182 Woodbine Drive.
His house is set back far from the street, so it is very difficult to see. Instead of making the trip to his house, you may want to view it at this link and turn right after you exit Louse Point. Continue briefly on Old Stone Highway to…
Springs General Store
29 Old Stone Highway
Given what Jackson Pollock’s art sells for these days, it is hard to remember that, for most of his life, Pollock was so poor that he could not afford to heat his house. He once gave the former owner of this store a painting to pay off a $52 grocery bill..
A copy of Pollock’s painting, left, hangs behind the coffee urns at Springs General Store. To the right of the painting, is a photo of the artist shooting the breeze with the store’s then owner, Dan Miller. To the right of that, is a painting of the store and its iconic gas pumps.
Turn right onto Old Stone Highway and head for the heart of the very picturesque Springs Historic District. There, you will find…
Ashawagh Hall
780 Springs Fireplace Rd.
This beautiful building is a community center that is rented out for functions and meetings. It was originally a school and was purchased by the Springs Improvement Society in 1909 for $1.
Parsons Blacksmith shop
Built by a blacksmith and carriage maker named Charles Silas Parsons in 1886, this shop was originally on Springs Fireplace Road. It fell into disrepair and was purchased by the Springs Historical Society and relocated here. Here’s what the East Hampton Star had to say about Parsons in 1904: "Charles Parsons, the Edison of Springs, will soon bring out something to excite the wonder and admiration of the people. He has taken a contract to build for Peter Koppelman, the progressive and wide awake vegetable man, an automobile wagon, from which will be sold vegetables throughout the town. The vehicle will be equipped with a five horsepower engine and will have regulation wagon wheels with steel tires. Both Mr. Parsons and Mr. Koppleman have confidence that the machine will be a success."
The Ambrose Parsons House
1 Parsons Place
This historic home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in the late 1700s and was willed to the town of East Hampton in 1975 by its last owner, artist Elizabeth Parker Anderson, to serve as a library. In 1957, Anderson, along with fellow artists Alfonso Ossorio and John Little, founded East Hampton’s first commercial art gallery devoted to abstract art. The house is now the Springs Library. The children’s room used to be the kitchen and is the oldest part of the house.
Walk or drive across the street behind Ashawagh Hall (Springs Fireplace Wall) to visit this lovely…
Farm Stand
Turn left out of the farmstead and drive just a little bit to…
Pollock-Krasner House
830 Springs-Fireplace Road
The home Pollock shared with his wife, Lee Krasner, is now a museum owned by Stony Brook University. Admission is by guided tour only and advance reservations are required. You can explore the grounds for free. Walk behind the house to the waters of Accabonac Harbor, where Pollock regularly harvested clams so that he and Krasner would have something to eat.
Green River Cemetery
787 Accabonac Rd.
Once a simple cemetery for local farmers and fisherman, Green River became the place to be buried once Jackson Pollock was interned here. Many creative types are chose it for their final resting place, and their creativity is reflected in their tombstones. You’ll see a stone bench with a stack of stone books for a writer, film reels for movie folk and, of course, paint brushes for Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. The cemetery is now fully booked, thanks to what the New York Times called “a land grab” by Courtney Ross, widow of Time-Warner’s Steve Ross. She bought the final 110 plots in 1992 after her husband died of cancer, wishing to have a place for future generations of her family to be buried.
On your way back to town, stop in at…
The Arts Center at Duck Creek (Also known as Duck Creek Farm)
127 Squaw Road
This lovely arts center arts center offers free concerts and exhibits during warm weather months. The historic, 18th century homestead was originally owned by the Edwards family, members of the original settlers of East Hampton. Abstract Expressionist John Little bought the property in 1948. Little and his family lived in the house, and he used the 19th century barn as his studio. A catalog prepared for an exhibit of his paintings tells the following story: “When John Little first laid eyes on Duck Creek farm it was a far cry from the historic landmark property we see today. In the 1940s Little, who lived in New York City, began visiting Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner at their home on Fireplace Road. One day in 1948, hoping their friend might entertain leaving the city, Krasner took Little to look at a rundown old house with about seven acres on Squaw Road. It must not have been impressive. It was built in either 1795 or 1815 by the Edwards family on a 130 acre tract which the family farmed until 1902. By the time of Krasner and Little’s visit the house was in terrible condition but something must have clicked because Little bought it and immediately set to restoring it. He also bought an old barn from the David Johnson Gardiner farm on James Lane in East Hampton for use as a studio. Black and white photos taken by Jackson Pollock in 1948 record the barn raising for what is today the exhibition and performance space for the Arts Center at Duck Creek.” The town of East Hampton bought the property in 2006, restored it, and opened it as an arts center.
INSERT DUCK CREEK VIDEO
Click here to watch a tour hosted by the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society, a non-profit organization that offers wonderful free hikes in East Hampton. Click here for more info on the Society.
You may also be interested in…
Brooks-Park Arts and Nature Center
Eastside Court off of Neck Path
https://www.brooks-parkarts.org
Preservation efforts are now underway to safeguard the former home and studios of abstract expressionists James Brooks and Charlotte Park. Click here to watch a talk on the history and preservation of Brooks-Park given at an event held by the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society.