1904–1997

Willem de Kooning

Dutch-born American Abstract Expressionist whose Woman series and gestural abstractions embodied the movement's commitment to painterly process.

Exhibitions: Willem de Kooning Drawing, Chicago, May 12, 2026 to September 20, 2026.

News: Is Sexy Art Back, or Is It Just Me? (Hyperallergic, November 9, 2026). From Willem de Kooning’s miserable nudes to Alexandra Barth’s hot and bothered architecture, sex is in the air in Chicago.

News: De Kooning Sets European Record at Sotheby’s London (MutualArt, October 19, 2026). London’s Frieze Week evening sales totaled £279.4 million, as Sotheby’s results were buoyed by a £9.8 million European record for Willem de Kooning

News: Ist Willem de Kooning noch tragbar? (Monopol, October 14, 2026). Ist Willem de Kooning noch tragbar? Alia Lübbe…

News: Willem de Kooning review – the artist’s lifelong rebellion against himself is thrilling to watch (The Guardian, October 8, 2026). Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamMarking a century since the Dutch artist stowed away to New York, this vast retrospective gloriously showcases the abstract expressionist’s fierce boundary-pushingWillem de Kooning was the last great artist who really knew how to draw. More precisely, if less prov…

News: Willem de Kooning’s Triumphant Return To The Netherlands (Artlyst, October 6, 2026).     The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is marking the centenary of Willem de Kooning’s arrival in New York with an exhibition devoted to his work. De Kooning came to the city in 1926, having crossed the Atlantic aboard a cargo ship. More than 120 works are brought together, with works on paper…