An Interview
by
James
T.
Valliere
DE KOONING ON POLLOCK
VALLIERE:
In 1942 you and Pollock exhibited along with
others
in
a show called "French and American Painters." It was held at
the McMillen Gallery.
DE KOONING:
Yes. It was a very little show - not outstanding. The
critics liked it and were sympathetic so it was written up nicely. The
Americans looked very good; they were different from one another, but
nobody paid attention. It was not like today. People just weren't buy–
ing American painting.
VALLIERE:
But why were a group of almost completely unknown Amer–
icans like yourself, Pollock and Lee Krasner shown with highly recog–
nized Europeans - Picasso, Braque, RouauIt, etc.?
DE KOONING:
Because of John Graham. The owner of the McMillen
Gallery asked him to arrange an exhibition and he picked us. Graham
was very highly regarded. He had written a book called the
Dialectics
of Art.
Also, Graham, Stuart Davis and Arshile Gorky at that time
were known as the Three Musketeers. They were the three outstanding
modem artists. Graham was very important and he discovered Pollock.
I make that very clear. It wasn't anybody else, you know.
VALLIERE :
You think Graham discovered Pollock?
DE KOONING:
Of course he did. Who the hell picked
him
out? The
other critics came later - much later. Graham was a painter as well
as a critic. It was hard for other artists to see what Pollock was do–
ing - their work was so different from 'his. It's hard to see something
that's different from your work. But Graham could see it.
VALLIERE:
Had you ever seen any of Pollock's work before the McMillen
exhibition?
DE KOIilNING:
No. That was the first time. Pollock was about nine or
ten years younger than I. I knew Graham as early as 1927 and
through him met Gorky and Davis; but I got to know Pollock only
after the group show at McMillen.
VALLIERE:
After you knew him did you speak about painting very often?
