Irascibles

A small, rebel mid-century group of 28 artists which included Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Clyford Still, Theodoros Stamos, and Hedda Sterne, the only female participant. They challenged the Metropolitan Museum of Art by protesting a juried exhibition intended to increase the museum's collection of contemporary art. In 1950, these artists banded together and signed a petition accusing the curator and director of loading the jury with critics hostile to "advanced art," particularly Abstract Expressionism. This demonstration proved a great catalyst for the movement, drawing significant press coverage and public awareness. Source: Levis Fine Art