Willem de Kooning ( də KOO-ning, Dutch: [ˈʋɪləm də ˈkoːnɪŋ]; April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a prominent Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist. He was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and subsequently relocated to the United States in 1926, achieving U.S. citizenship in 1962. In 1943, he entered into marriage with the painter Elaine Fried.
Willem de Kooning ( də KOO-ning, Dutch: [ˈʋɪləmdəˈkoːnɪŋ]; April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist. Born in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, he moved to the United States in 1926, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1962. In 1943, he married painter Elaine Fried.
Following World War II, De Kooning developed a distinctive painting style, subsequently termed abstract expressionism or "action painting," and became an integral member of the New York School. This influential artistic collective included notable painters such as Jackson Pollock, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Arshile Gorky, Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, John Ferren, Nell Blaine, Conrad Marca-Relli, James Brooks, Adolph Gottlieb, Jack Tworkov, Norman Lewis, Anne Ryan, Robert Motherwell, Philip Guston, Clyfford Still, and Richard Pousette-Dart. A retrospective exhibition of De Kooning's work, hosted at MoMA from 2011 to 2012, solidified his reputation as one of the twentieth century's most renowned artists.
Early Life, Family, and Educational Background
Willem de Kooning was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on April 24, 1904. His parents, Leendert de Kooning and Cornelia Nobel, divorced in 1907, leading De Kooning to reside initially with his father before moving in with his mother. He discontinued his formal schooling in 1916 to commence an apprenticeship with a commercial art firm. Subsequently, until 1924, he pursued evening courses at the Academie van Beeldende Kunsten en Technische Wetenschappen (Academy of Fine Arts and Applied Sciences) in Rotterdam, an institution later renamed the Willem de Kooning Academie.
Professional Career
In 1926, De Kooning embarked on a journey to the United States as a stowaway aboard the Shelley, a British freighter en route to Argentina, disembarking on August 15 in Newport News, Virginia. His initial ambition was to become an illustrator for pulp magazines, noting in 1969 that "those American illustrators were the most inspiring artists to me!" During this period, he resided at the Dutch Seamen's Home in Hoboken, New Jersey, securing employment as a house painter. By 1927, he had relocated to Manhattan, New York City, establishing a studio on West Forty-fourth Street. He sustained himself through various occupations, including carpentry, house painting, and commercial art.
De Kooning commenced painting during his leisure hours, and in 1928, he became affiliated with the art colony in Woodstock, New York. Concurrently, he began to encounter prominent modernist artists active in Manhattan, including the American Stuart Davis, the Armenian Arshile Gorky, and the Russian John Graham, whom De Kooning collectively referred to as the "Three Musketeers." Gorky, whom De Kooning initially met at Misha Reznikoff's residence, evolved into a close confidant and exerted significant influence for at least a decade. Balcomb Greene remarked that "de Kooning virtually worshipped Gorky," while Aristodimos Kaldis asserted, "Gorky was de Kooning's master." De Kooning's drawing, Self-portrait with Imaginary Brother, dating to approximately 1938, potentially depicts him alongside Gorky, as the figures' posture mirrors a 1936 photograph of Gorky with Peter Busa.
In 1934, De Kooning became a member of the Artists Union, and by 1935, he was engaged by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. For this initiative, he conceived several murals, including designs for the Williamsburg Federal Housing Project in Brooklyn, New York City. Although none of these murals were ultimately executed, a preliminary sketch for one was featured in New Horizons in American Art at the Museum of Modern Art, marking his inaugural group exhibition. From 1937, following his departure from the Federal Art Project due to his lack of U.S. citizenship, De Kooning transitioned to working as a full-time artist, generating income through commissions and teaching. That same year, he contributed to a segment of the mural Medicine for the Hall of Pharmacy at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, garnering critical acclaim for its innovative imagery, which sharply diverged from the prevailing American realism of the period.
De Kooning initiated his initial series of portraiture, featuring standing or seated male figures such as Two Men Standing, Man, and Seated Figure (Classic Male). He also incorporated self-portraits, exemplified by Portrait with Imaginary Brother (1938–39). During this period, De Kooning's artistic output was significantly informed by Gorky's surrealist aesthetics and Picasso's influence. A shift occurred upon his encounter with the younger artist Franz Kline, who similarly explored American realism's figurative style and favored monochrome palettes. Kline, a close artistic confidant of De Kooning, passed away prematurely. Kline's impact is discernible in De Kooning's distinctive calligraphic black images from this era.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, De Kooning collaborated with fellow contemporary artists, including Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, in an endeavor to transcend prevailing artistic movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, and Regionalism. Their resulting abstract works, characterized by emotive gestures, represented a deliberate departure from these established styles. This emergent artistic current subsequently became known as "Abstract Expressionism," with specific facets sometimes identified as "Action Painting" and the "New York School."
From 1948 to 1953, De Kooning gained increasing recognition for his distinctive artistic techniques, yet he consciously avoided stylistic repetition. By the late 1950s, his oeuvre transitioned from the figurative portrayal of women—a subject he would occasionally revisit—towards a greater engagement with abstract, non-representational imagery.
Works
Early Period
De Kooning's canvases from the 1930s and early 1940s predominantly feature abstract still lifes, distinguished by geometric or biomorphic forms and vibrant color palettes. These pieces reflect the influence of his associates Davis, Gorky, and Graham, alongside artists such as Arp, Joan Miró, Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso. Concurrently, De Kooning produced a series depicting solitary male figures, either standing or seated, against ambiguous backgrounds; a significant number of these remain incomplete.
Monochrome Abstract Works
Commencing in 1946, De Kooning initiated a series of black-and-white paintings, which he continued until 1949. Within this timeframe, his inaugural solo exhibition at the Charles Egan Gallery in 1948 primarily showcased these monochrome compositions, though some works incorporated vibrant color accents. De Kooning's black paintings hold significant historical importance within Abstract Expressionism due to their densely structured forms, innovative mixed media application, and distinctive technical execution.
The Woman Series
De Kooning consistently depicted women throughout the early and late 1940s, yet it was not until 1950 that he dedicated himself exclusively to the female subject. His renowned Woman series, initiated in 1950 and concluding with Woman VI, exhibits considerable indebtedness to Picasso, particularly in its assertive, disruptive deconstruction of the figure and its surrounding spatial elements. Notably, Picasso's later works suggest an awareness of compositions by Pollock and De Kooning. De Kooning was instrumental in guiding the 1950s art scene towards the emergence of American Abstract Expressionism. Critic Harold Rosenberg observed, "From 1940 to the present, Woman has manifested herself in De Kooning's paintings and drawings as at once the focus of desire, frustration, inner conflict, pleasure... and as posing problems of conception and handling as demanding as those of an engineer." The female figure serves as a pivotal symbol throughout De Kooning's artistic trajectory and personal life. The Woman painting is regarded as a significant museum acquisition due to its historical resonance with post-World War II developments and the American feminist movement. Furthermore, its distinctive medium—oil, enamel, and charcoal on canvas—differentiates it from other works of De Kooning's era.
Prominent Works
Willem De Kooning is recognized for several significant paintings, including Woman III (1953), Woman VI (1953), Interchange (1955), and Police Gazette (1955). His notable sculptural contributions include Clamdigger (1972/1976) and Seated Woman on a Bench (1972/1976).
Market Reception
Several of De Kooning's paintings have achieved record-breaking prices in the 21st century. In November 2006, American business magnate David Geffen sold his oil painting Woman III to hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen for $137.5 million, a sum slightly below the then-record of $140 million, which involved the same parties in the same month for Jackson Pollock's No. 5, 1948. A month prior, Cohen had acquired De Kooning's Police Gazette from Geffen for $63.5 million. In September 2015, Geffen divested De Kooning's oil painting Interchange to hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin for approximately $300 million, establishing it as the highest price ever paid for a painting at that time. This record stood until November 15, 2017, when Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi fetched $450 million at Christie's in New York. In November 2016, Untitled XXV sold for $66.3 million at Christie's in New York, marking a record price for a De Kooning artwork sold at public auction.
According to Patricia Failing:
- By the close of the 1950s, William de Kooning, the abstract expressionist master, was widely considered the most influential painter globally active. Although his inaugural solo exhibition occurred in 1948, De Kooning had previously cultivated a formidable underground reputation, which, alongside Jackson Pollock, propelled him to prominence as a leading exponent of "action painting."
Solo Exhibitions
The artist was presented in numerous solo exhibitions from 1948 to 1966, with many held in New York, as well as nationally and internationally. Specifically, he had 14 distinct exhibitions, including two annually in 1953, 1964, and 1965. His work was showcased at the Egan Gallery, the Sidney Janis Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Arts Club of Chicago, the Martha Jackson Gallery, the Workshop Center, the Paul Kantor Gallery, the James Goodman Gallery, the Allan Stone Gallery, and the Smith College Museum of Art. Most of these exhibitions typically spanned three weeks to one month.
In 2002, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, mounted Willem de Kooning, an exhibition showcasing 65 works on paper created between 1938 and 1955. The exhibition was displayed at MOCA from February 10 to May 5, 2002, subsequently traveling to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from June 27 to September 8, 2002, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., from September 29, 2002, to January 5, 2003. Paul Schimmel and Cornelia Butler curated the exhibition.
Recent exhibitions of his oeuvre include De Kooning: Five Decades, which was held at the Mnuchin Gallery, New York City, from April 19 to June 15, 2019, and Willem De Kooning: Endless Painting at the Gagosian Gallery (curated by Cecilia Alemani) from April 15 to July 11, 2025, also in New York.
Personal Life and Demise
De Kooning encountered Elaine Fried at the American Artists School in New York. In 1938, her teacher introduced her to De Kooning at a Manhattan cafeteria when she was 20 and he was 34. Elaine had previously admired Willem's artwork. Following their meeting, he commenced instructing her in drawing and painting. They painted in Willem's loft at 143 West 21st Street, and he was noted for his stringent critique of her work, "sternly requiring that she draw and redraw a figure or still life and insisting on fine, accurate, clear linear definition supported by precisely modulated shading." Although he destroyed many of her drawings, this "impelled Elaine to strive for both precision and grace in her work." Upon their marriage on December 9, 1943, she relocated to his loft, and they continued to share studio spaces. Their enduring relationship was characterized by alcoholism, financial difficulties, extramarital affairs, disputes, and separations.
Elaine and Willem de Kooning maintained a relationship subsequently characterized as an open marriage, exhibiting an unconventional approach to sexual fidelity and extramarital relationships. Elaine engaged in affairs with men who facilitated Willem's professional advancement, including Harold Rosenberg, a prominent art critic; Thomas B. Hess, an art writer and managing editor for ARTnews; and Charles Egan, owner of the Charles Egan Gallery. Willem fathered a daughter, Lisa de Kooning, in 1956, from his liaison with Joan Ward. He also had a relationship with Ruth Kligman after her affair with Jackson Pollock concluded with his death in a car crash in 1956.
Both Elaine and Willem de Kooning contended with alcoholism, a factor that ultimately precipitated their separation in 1957. During their separation, Elaine resided in New York, experiencing financial hardship, while Willem relocated to Long Island and grappled with depression. Notwithstanding their struggles with alcohol dependency, both artists maintained their painting practices. Willem de Kooning obtained U.S. citizenship on March 13, 1962, and the subsequent year, he relocated from Broadway to a residence in East Hampton, New York, which Elaine's brother, Peter Fried, had sold to him two years prior. He constructed an adjacent studio and inhabited this property for the duration of his life. Despite a separation spanning nearly two decades, Elaine and Willem never formally divorced, eventually reconciling in 1976.
Near the end of his life, it became evident that de Kooning had experienced memory loss beginning in the late 1980s and had been afflicted with Alzheimer's disease for an extended period. This disclosure has prompted significant scholarly and critical discourse regarding the extent of de Kooning's cognitive agency in the production of his later artistic output.
De Kooning completed his final artworks in 1991, as his disease progressed. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 92 and was subsequently cremated.
American Figurative Expressionism
- American Figurative Expressionism
- Erased de Kooning Drawing
- Impasto
- New York Figurative Expressionism
References
Herskovic, Marika (2009). American Abstract and Figurative Expressionism: Style Is Timely, Art Is Timeless: An Illustrated Survey With Artists' Statements, Artwork, and Biographies. New York School Press. pp. 76–79, 127, 136. ISBN 978-0-9677994-2-1.
- Herskovic, Marika (2009). American Abstract and Figurative Expressionism Style Is Timely Art Is Timeless An Illustrated Survey With Artists' Statements, Artwork and Biographies. New York School Press. pp. 76–79, 127, 136. ISBN 978-0-9677994-2-1.Herskovic, Marika (2003). American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s: An Illustrated Survey. New York School Press. pp. 94–97. ISBN 0-9677994-1-4. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2025.Herskovic, Marika (2000). New York School Abstract Expressionists: Artists' Choice by Artists. New York School Press. pp. 16, 36, 106–109. ISBN 0-9677994-0-6. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2025.Lieber, Edvard (2000). Willem de Kooning: Reflections in the Studio. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. ISBN 0-8109-4560-6.Nordness, Lee, ed. (1963). ART USA NOW. Vol. 1, Viking Press. pp. 134–137. OCLC 180660277.Shiff, Richard (2009). "On 'Between Sense and de Kooning'". The Montréal Review.Zilczer, Judith (2017). Willem de Kooning. Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0-7148-7316-9.Willem de Kooning Foundation
- Willem de Kooning Foundation at dekooning.org
- Willem de Kooning at the Museum of Modern Art
- Reproductions
- Willem de Kooning at Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
- Woman in the Pool (1969) Phoenix Art Museum
- De Kooning's work in the Guggenheim Collection
- Willem de Kooning at the National Gallery of Australia's Kenneth Tyler collection
- Hunter, Sam (1964). "Willem de Kooning Lecture". Baltimore, Maryland: The Baltimore Museum of Art. Retrieved June 26, 2012