Lynne Drexler

Abstract Expressionist painter Lynne Mapp Drexler created a colourful world full of light and moement. Born in 1928 in Newport News, Virginia, Drexler began painting at an early age and took art classes at the Richmond Professional Institute and the College of William and Mary.

Despite being considered to be a ‘second-generation’ Abstract Expressionist artist, Drexler received the same training as that of her peers. In 1955 Drexler moved to New York City to further her studies at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts that included a stay at the Abstract Expressionist pioneer’s summer school in Provincetown. During her time in New York, Drexler became a member of the legendary Greenwich Village art scene. She attended the Friday night events at the 8th Street Club, where she would have been one of the few women artists in attendance. She also rubbed elbows at the Cedar Tavern, which had been a hangout for artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Philip Guston and Joan Mitchell.

In 1958 Drexler enrolled in a graduate programme at Hunter College. There, she was instructed by Robert Motherwell. Drexler’s intention at the time was to learn how to teach painting, but Motherwell noticed her strengths as a painter and encouraged her to become an artist.

Lynne Drexler's art is characterised by a dynamic use of colour and form. Her compositions frequently feature bold, abstract patterns that evoke natural landscapes, cityscapes, and organic forms, showcasing her keen eye for colour and composition. Drexler maintained her own, unique style largely outside of the mainstream art world. Her inventive, patch-like brushwork comes alive on her canvases. In 2023 her 1960 work, Flowering Judas 2, sold for US$1,381,000 at Christie’s New York, setting a world auction record for the artist.

During her career, Drexler exhibited her work in various galleries and museums, including a solo exhibition at the Tanager gallery in 1961. The Tanager gallery was a prestigious, artist-run collective whose members included Willem de Kooning and Alex Katz.

In her later years, Drexler moved to Monhegan Island, Maine, where she found inspiration in the island’s rugged landscape and tight-knit artistic community. This period marked a new phase in her career, marked by a synthesis of abstract and representational influences. Lynne Drexler died in 1999 at her home on Monhegan Island.