Abstract Expressionism

Abstract expressionism emerged in the United States following World War II, marking a departure from the social realism of the 1930s. The term was first applied to American art in 1946 by critic Robert Coates. Centered in the New York School, the movement included prominent figures such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Lee Krasner, gaining mainstream acceptance throughout the 1950s.