NEW YORK.- The Whitney Museum of American Art presents "The Paintings of Joan Mitchell," on view through September 29, 2002. Joan Mitchell’s (1926-1992) work has not been seen in a major museum show in New York since her 1974 exhibition at the Whitney-more than twenty-five years ago. This carefully selected retrospective covers Mitchell’s entire career, from the early works of 1951 until her death. Showcasing both Mitchell’s distinctive brand of Abstract Expressionism and her fierce dedication to her art, the fifty-nine paintings reflect her struggles and the artistic triumphs she achieved in an era when men dominated American vanguard art. In addition to lesser-known works, many of Mitchell’s heroic diptychs, triptychs, and quadriptychs are featured. This exhibition gives us the opportunity to reassess and to elevate Mitchell’s status among the American Abstract painters. The Paintings of Joan Mitchell is supported by The Florence Gould Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Andrea and James Gordon, the Dedalus Foundation, Inc., and Elise Jaffe and Jeffrey Brown.