Description

WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997) Title: Untitled, Medium: Pastel on Paper, Date: c. 1960-65, Size: 18 x 11.75 in. w/C. of Attrib. Was a renowned American-Dutch painter and a founding member of the Abstract Expressionist movement. His lusciously gestural oil paintings which were loosely based on figures, landscapes, and still lifes helped establish a distinctly American style of painting. Perhaps de Kooning?s most famous series are his Woman paintings, inspired in part by Pablo Picasso?s works but featuring a wholly original approach to deconstructing space and figuration. These wildly brushed depictions of menacing women simultaneously shocked audiences and brought the artist international fame when exhibited in the 1950s. Born on April 24, 1904 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, de Kooning went on to study in Rotterdam before traveling to the United States as a stowaway in 1926. He first lived in Hoboken, NJ and worked as a house painter and carpenter before settling in New York, NY in 1927. A turning point in his career was his meeting of Arshile Gorky, whose influence and friendship helped solidify de Kooning?s maturation as an artist. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among many others. De Kooning died on March 19, 1997 in East Hampton, NY. (Attributed to: Qualifier used for attributions to express minor to moderate uncertainty regarding the attribution to a known creator, as when the work is proven, style, or physical characteristics suggest to given creator, but the attribution can not be validated with absolute certainty (eg, attributed to Frans Hals (Dutch painter, ca. 1581-1666)).