Courses and Workshops

In this course, we will examine the unique contributions of six powerhouse women artists and explore the challenges they faced as women in a male-dominated art world. Jay DeFeo, Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, and Joan Mitchell played major roles in the development of Abstract Expressionism, which flourished in New York and San Francisco in the 1940s and 1950s and has been recognized as the first American modern art movement. We will also talk about the broader context of Abstract Expressionism and its impact on American Art.

There will be an optional field trip offered at the end of the class. No prior knowledge of art or art history is required.

Faculty Bio

Drucie Saal Belman has worked at Pace Gallery in both New York and Palo Alto, Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where she led numerous tours at SFMOMA. A former art consultant with the Loft Gallery in Paris and Hong Kong, she has lectured on various topics in art from the Bay Area Figurative Movement and Abstract Expressionism to contemporary artists Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell and Team Lab. Drucie graduated Wellesley College with a major in Art History, going on to study at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

This is an In-Person, Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes meet in person at the Golden Bear Center, Suite 365, at 1995 University Ave., Berkeley
• Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be recorded
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Wednesday, April 3, and ends on Wednesday, May 8
• Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2 hours per session (1–3 PM)
• Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
• All course materials, including videos, will remain available to view and enjoy through May 31

Member Praise for Drucie Belman

Drucie obviously loves her subject and her enthusiasm made the course extremely enjoyable.

She was fantastic! Such a delightful presence in the classroom and clearly in love with art.

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Drucie Belman from our archive.