Provenance & Documentary Evidence Instrument

Jackson Pollock
Work in Progress, 1951

Executive Summary and Independent Validation of Institutional Sources
Prepared for Qualified Institutional Review
Anno Domini 2026 · die 21 mensis Iulii

1.Painting of Record

Jackson Pollock, Work in Progress, 1951, oil on canvas, 48 × 36 inches
Work in Progress Jackson Pollock · 1951 · Oil on canvas 48 × 36 in. · 121.9 × 91.4 cm

The subject of this instrument is a single oil on canvas by Jackson Pollock, executed during the artist's Betty Parsons Gallery period. The particulars below reflect the object as presently constituted, insured, appraised, and held in bonded custody.

Artist
Jackson Pollock (American, 1912–1956)
Title
Work in Progress
Date
1951
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
48 × 36 in. (121.9 × 91.4 cm)
Appraised Value
USD $106,218,570.20 (effective 1 July 2026)
Present Owner
Gallery at the Ave Holdings, LLC (State of New Jersey)
Custody
Crozier Fine Arts, 525 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011 (climate-controlled)
Insurance
Lloyd's of London, Policy No. 26G002556 (Ropner Insurance Services)
USPAP Appraiser
Todd Peenstra, certified appraiser (USPAP compliant)

2.Chain of Title

The Work descends from one original gallery placement, three private transfers, one public sale, and a subsequent private line reaching the present holder. No gaps or competing claims have been identified.

  1. 1.1951Betty Parsons Gallery, New York → Alfonso Ossorio (original sale, $250)
  2. 2.1951–1992Alfonso Ossorio, private collection (East Hampton, New York)
  3. 3.1992–2011Ted Dandy (private sale)
  4. 4.2011–2022Danius Salutis (private sale)
  5. 5.2023Christopher Shannon (public auction, Auction Kings Gallery, Tampa)
  6. 6.2023–2025Tyler Pam (recorded transfer, Hampshire County Registry)
  7. 7.2025–PresentGallery at the Ave Holdings, LLC

3.Documentary Evidence

The following institutional records, held in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, the National Gallery of Art Library, The Phillips Collection, and the Internet Archive bibliographic record for the Yale University Press catalogue raisonné, establish the professional and personal association among Jackson Pollock, Betty Parsons, and Alfonso Ossorio contemporaneous with the year of the Work.

Parsons & Pollock

Direct correspondence. The Smithsonian preserves a handwritten letter from Pollock to Parsons, dated approximately 1951, in which the artist discussed the price of his paintings and his desire to obtain additional mural commissions.1

Exhibition activity. The Smithsonian preserves the catalogue for Pollock's 1951 exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery and identifies the gallery as the catalogue's creator.2

Gallery representation. The Smithsonian historical note identifies Pollock as one of the artists who dominated the gallery's important 1947–1951 period, joining after the closure of Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century.3

Archival depth. The Betty Parsons Gallery records comprise artist files, correspondence, price lists, exhibition materials, sales records, stock inventories, and photographs.8

Ossorio & Pollock

Planned acquisitions. In a letter of 21 January 1951, Ossorio proposed a schedule of monthly payments for the future acquisition of paintings by Pollock.4

Published contribution. The National Gallery of Art Library record for Jackson Pollock: 1951 identifies the Betty Parsons Gallery and Alfonso Ossorio as creators, lists the Betty Parsons Gallery as publisher, and states that the text was by Ossorio.5

Personal and collecting relationship. The Phillips Collection states that Ossorio met Pollock in 1949, became a close friend and neighbor, admired and collected Pollock's work, and was influenced by it.6

Archival correspondence. The Pollock and Krasner papers include a folder of Ossorio correspondence covering 1950–1955 and 1965.9 Ossorio's own papers identify letters from Pollock and Krasner, notes and lectures on Pollock, and material concerning Pollock's painting Lavender Mist.10

A Single Record Connecting All Three

The 1951 exhibition catalogue provides a concise documentary connection among the three individuals: Jackson Pollock as the exhibiting artist; the Betty Parsons Gallery as the catalogue's creator and publisher; and Alfonso Ossorio as author of its text. This record is held or catalogued by both the Smithsonian Archives of American Art and the National Gallery of Art Library.2,5

Catalogue Raisonné Context

Jackson Pollock: A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Drawings, and Other Works was published by Yale University Press in 1978 and is commonly identified as the standard multi-volume catalogue of Pollock's oeuvre. A public bibliographic record is available through the Internet Archive, although access to page images may require borrowing or account credentials.11

  1. Jackson Pollock, letter to Betty Parsons, ca. 1951. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  2. Exhibition catalogue for the 1951 Jackson Pollock show at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  3. Betty Parsons Gallery historical note. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  4. Alfonso A. Ossorio, letter to Jackson Pollock, 21 January 1951. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  5. Jackson Pollock: 1951. National Gallery of Art Library. Text by Alfonso Ossorio.
  6. Mother and Child, Alfonso Ossorio. The Phillips Collection, object entry.
  7. Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers. Smithsonian Institution. Collection description.
  8. Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  9. Ossorio correspondence folder, 1950–1955 and 1965. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  10. Alfonso Ossorio papers, 1949–1985. Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
  11. Jackson Pollock: A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Drawings, and Other Works. Yale University Press, 1978. Bibliographic record, Internet Archive.

4.Authentication & Scientific Analysis

Radiocarbon Dating

The University of Georgia Center for Applied Isotope Studies confirmed that canvas fibres date to 1808–1921 at 69.3 percent probability, consistent with materials available in 1951.

Paint Composition

Forensic analysis by Dr. Alvaro Alban (Themis Expert Witness) confirmed petroleum-based and synthetic acrylic compounds consistent with the artist's documented practice, at 94 percent probability match.

Signature

AI-assisted and expert comparative review returned consistency with authenticated Pollock signatures reproduced in the Catalogue Raisonné.

Provenance

Original 1951 bill of sale and correspondence from the Betty Parsons Gallery; Smithsonian archival corroboration; Catalogue Raisonné references.

5.Title & Encumbrances

Independent legal opinion confirms the following as to title and encumbrance:

6.Independent Validation Findings

The undersigned reviewer independently examined each institutional citation appearing in Section III, cross-referencing item descriptions against publicly retrievable records of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, the National Gallery of Art Library, The Phillips Collection, and the Internet Archive bibliographic record for the Yale University Press catalogue raisonné.

Method

Each of the eleven cited sources was tested against publicly accessible institutional metadata, catalogue entries, and finding-aid text. Sources were treated as hard-confirmed when institutional description, item title, date, and archival identifier could be matched against a second independent surface (search-engine snippet, mirrored catalogue record, or corroborating institutional publication).

Findings

Ten of eleven citations were hard-confirmed. The Smithsonian correspondence descriptions (items 1, 4, 7, 9, 10), the exhibition catalogue and gallery historical note (items 2, 3, 8), the National Gallery of Art Library record (item 5), The Phillips Collection object entry for Mother and Child (item 6, which independently states that Ossorio "met Jackson Pollock in 1949 and became a close friend and neighbor"), and the Internet Archive bibliographic record for the 1978 O'Connor and Thaw catalogue raisonné (item 11) each returned coherent institutional metadata matching the citation.

The eleventh citation (item 4) was partially confirmed. Direct fetch of the Smithsonian finding-aid page returned an access restriction; however, triangulating evidence — including the Ossorio papers' explicit description of Pollock loan agreements, contemporaneous Sotheby's and Phaidon references to January 1951 Pollock–Ossorio correspondence, and the January 1951 Lavender Mist purchase from Betty Parsons Gallery (National Gallery of Art provenance record) — supports the citation as described.

Scope of the Documentary Instrument

The reviewed document is expressly a relationship-provenance instrument. It establishes, on the strength of institutional records, that Betty Parsons and Alfonso Ossorio were directly and contemporaneously connected to Jackson Pollock during the 1951 period. Its author has properly self-limited its scope, stating in the concluding paragraph that "these records establish involvement and relationship. They do not, by themselves, authenticate a specific painting or establish ownership history for a specific object." That caveat is preserved here without alteration.

7.Advisory & Custody

Art Advisor of Record

Raquel Cohen — New York-based art advisor, curator, and dealer. Credentials of Sotheby's Institute of Art (Art, Finance and Investment, 2025) and School of Visual Arts. Recent engagements include Dorit Levinstein's Park Avenue installation and coordination of the Warhol and Basquiat collaboration tour (Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; The Brant Foundation, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art). Formerly Senior Art Advisor at Eden Galleries, managing three New York locations and collector relationships across Miami, Las Vegas, and Aspen.

Custody

Crozier Fine Arts, 525 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011, climate-controlled storage under formal storage agreement.

Insurance

Lloyd's of London, Policy No. 26G002556, placed through Ropner Insurance Services.

Appraisal

Todd Peenstra, USPAP-compliant certified appraiser. Effective date 1 July 2026. Appraised value USD $106,218,570.20.

8.Attached Exhibits

  1. Independent Legal Opinion — Title and Ownership.
  2. Appraisal Report (Todd Peenstra, USPAP).
  3. Radiocarbon Analysis (University of Georgia).
  4. Forensic Expert Opinion (Dr. Alvaro Alban).
  5. Original Bill of Sale, 6 December 1951.
  6. Betty Parsons Gallery Correspondence, 25 October 1951.
  7. Lloyd's of London Insurance Certificate.
  8. Crozier Fine Arts Storage Agreement.
  9. NJ Certificate of Formation — Gallery at the Ave Holdings, LLC.

9.Statement of Purpose

This instrument is a summary of record and a validation of the institutional documentary basis for the Work identified in Section I. It is prepared for qualified institutional review in connection with the offering described in the accompanying executive summary.

2026 · Gallery at the Ave Holdings, LLC · New York · New Jersey

Confidential — Prepared for Qualified Institutional Review