Jackson Pollock

Pollock's drip paintings—revolutionary in method, electric in their wiry linear energy—established him as the avatar of Abstract Expressionism and the first American artist to dominate the global art world. 'No. 5, 1948' sold for $140 million in a private transaction; his auction record exceeds $58 million. His early death at 44 in a car crash intensified the mythology of his compact, irreplaceable oeuvre.