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The Irascibles were a group of mid-century American abstract artists who challenged the status quo of the art world and advocated for the recognition of avant-garde movements. Led by iconic figures like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko, the Irascibles represented a collective defiance against the conservative art establishment of their time.
The Irascibles, 1950, photo published in Life magazine.
Front row: Theodoros Stamos, Jimmy Ernst, Barnett Newman, James Brooks, Mark Rothko.
Middle row: Richard Pousette-Dart, William Baziotes, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, Robert Motherwell, Bradley Walker Tomlin.
Back row: Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Ad Reinhardt, Hedda Sterne.
At the heart of their defiance was a political statement—a demand for recognition and acceptance of abstract art as a legitimate form of artistic expression. In 1950, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted an exhibition titled "American Painting Today," which largely ignored abstract art. The Irascibles responded. They penned a manifesto and boycotted the exhibition, highlighting the institutional bias against abstract artists and calling for greater inclusion and representation in the art world.
