Willem deKooning

Woman I 1950-52 Oil on Canvas 6 feet 4 inches x 4 feet 10 inches

Willem de Kooning was the son Leendert de Kooning and Cornelia Nobel and was born in the Netherlands in 1904. His early training consisted of eight years at the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts and Techniques.

In 1926, de Kooning came to the United States by way of the British freighter SS Shelly, on which he was a stow away. He landed in Virginia and made his way to Hoboken, New Jersey where he worked as a house painter until eventually moving to Manhattan in 1927 where he got his first studio.

1929 is when he met one of his most influential and closest friends; the artist Arshile Gorky who would prove to be a tremendous influence on his work by guiding him to a more spontaneous style of painting for which he is best known.

Generally considered to be (along with Pollock) as the creator of Abstract Expressionism; in the 1950’s he stunned his admirers by reverting back to a more figurative work reminiscent to his earlier style. Some abstract purist considered him a traitor for this shift. Time has shown however that his work from this era; particularly his “Women” series, became some of his most famous and enduring work.

deKooning had remained an international figure up until his death in 1997 and his works are still celebrated in major museums around the world.

<< back