It may be decades since the untimely death of modern art icon Jackson Pollock in 1956, but the American painter’s once groundbreaking work continues to impact on the art world and wider popular culture.

When Tate Liverpool’s major exhibition opens on 30 June, focusing on works from Pollock’s 1951-53 ‘black pourings’ period, it’ll further highlight his ongoing relevance with a showcase that’s not only set to be a landmark event for the city and the North West, but also the UK.

Jackson Pollock is the latest in a line of ‘modern masters’ to take centre stage at Tate’s Albert Dock gallery, following standout exhibitions in recent years featuring Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall to Piet Mondrian and Andy Warhol.

Running from 30 June until 18 October, ‘Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots’ will stay faithful to what assistant curator Stephanie Straine highlights as the gallery’s “commitment to presenting fresh perspectives” on such 20^th Century artists. Not only will it be the first Jackson Pollock exhibition to be staged in the North West, but it’s also the first display in more than 30 years to explore the ‘black pourings’ in particular – an area of Pollock’s work which is often overshadowed by his iconic drip paintings collection (1947-50) – and will feature some works that have never been seen in this country.

“Pollock completely changed how people understood modern painting in the 1940s and 1950s, by radically reorienting the blank canvas, beginning to work on it from the floor, so that gravity could play a part in his actions,” explains Stephanie, highlighting why Pollock’s painting has been so influential on modern art. “He became emblematic of the new American dominance of the art world at that time, but also the photographs of him working – particularly by Hans Namuth – introduced an element of performance to the act of painting, which I think has been one of his lasting legacies in terms of contemporary art.”

But why is his often overlooked ‘black pourings’ collection in particular so important and worthy of such high profile showcase?

“The black pourings marked a major turning point in Pollock’s style,” adds Stephanie. “Feeling compelled to re-invigorate himself and the way he created artwork during a difficult period in his life, it was a deliberate move from his defining, multi-layered ‘drip’ technique to a new ‘pour’ with thinned enamel paint in compositions which also left much more of the bare canvas exposed as part of the finished painting.

“While remembered and celebrated for his better known drip paintings, his black pourings signpost a significant chapter in his career that came towards the end of his life.”

Rounding up 57 of Pollock’s pieces from museums, galleries and private collections around the world, the display will lead visitors on a journey from his more iconic works to lesser known features, also incorporating a range of drawings from the black pourings period and some virtually unknown and rarely seen sculptures along the way.

“Exhibiting works from the peak of the artist’s fame alongside his lesser known work offers viewers the opportunity to appreciate Pollock’s broader ambitions as an artist and better understand the importance of the ‘blind spots’ in his practice,” says Stephanie.

Describing ‘Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots’ as a “once in a lifetime” exhibition in the city, the assistant curator believes the rarely displayed area of the artist’s career is being brought to light at the right time.

“Pollock is so often categorised as an abstract artist that I think these black paintings complicate the story of him progressing towards complete abstraction,” adds Stephanie. “As ever, the truth is a little more complicated.

“As Pollock himself wrote to friends in 1951: ‘I’m very representational some of the time, and a little all of the time. But when you’re painting out of your unconscious, figures are bound to emerge… painting is a state of being.’

“Now is a good time to bring these paintings to a wider audience because we are only just starting to understand the real legacy of these works; many contemporary artists have cited them as an important precedent for bridging the divide between abstraction and figuration, and I think our audience in Liverpool will appreciate how much relevance they have to the state of contemporary art today.”

A pillar of popular culture

Be it the catwalk, the silver screen or the cover of a seminal album, Jackson Pollock’s art work has long been reaching beyond art gallery walls.

Over the years, for instance, the artist’s signature paint splattering has become synonymous with legendary Manchester band The Stone Roses, after guitarist John Squire created his own Pollock-esque paintings to form the artwork of records in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Plus, the band referenced renowned work by the modern art icon in lyrics for the song ‘Going Down’, featuring the words “Yeah she looks like a painting, Jackson Pollock’s No.5…”.

This crossover appeal into popular culture has, according to Tate Liverpool’s assistant curator Stephanie Straine, been “instrumental in maintaining Pollock’s popularity and importance” in the six decades since he died”.

Whilst Liverpool’s forthcoming exhibition will set about bringing new insight into a different side of Pollock, Stephanie goes also suggests that such references, in turn, help to show just how relevant the artist’s work is to a host of generations.

“It’s one of the real measures of an artist’s work if it is able to transcend those boundaries between film, music, fashion and art, and maintain a level of recognition across people of all ages,” she adds.

More recently, interest in Pollock’s art across a range of cultural genres has shown no sign of dwindling. At the start of this year psychological thriller movie ‘Ex Machina’, written and directed by Alex Garland, featured a Pollock drip painting during a scene discussing consciousness.

Meanwhile, as national newspaper The Guardian previously welcomed in 2015 with a look at the next 12 months in fashion, it tipped Pollock’s paintings to inspire some catwalk creations following the artist’s time under the spotlight at Tate Liverpool.

From canvases to culinary creations

Whilst globally renowned for his work with a paintbrush, it has also emerged that Jackson Pollock could cook up a delicious feast in the kitchen – a talent he was far lesser known for.

In recent months a newly published book entitled ‘Dinner With Jackson Pollock: Recipes, Art & Nature’ has made headlines as it sheds light on the artist’s life as a gardener, baker and dinner party host.

Compiling recipes handwritten by Pollock, his wife Lee Krasner and other relatives, it shares the artist’s ‘prize-winning apple pie’ to ‘Jackson’s white bread’ and many others.

Throughout Tate Liverpool’s exhibition the gallery’s café will be paying homage to the ‘modern master’s’ culinary skills by cooking up dishes inspired by his.

And who says Pollock’s famously pioneered ‘action painting’ process has to be confined to canvas? The eatery will also be satisfying the sweet tooth of visitors with cupcakes drip-coated in icing to replicate the artist’s signature style.

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