DAC Collection Artist Information
Willem De Kooning
American painter and sculptor, born Netherlands
Brief biography, in most instances from the Union List of Artist Names® Online:
De Kooning was born in the Netherlands, but active primarily in America. He was a leading figure of Abstract Expressionism. His style strongly influenced art after World War II. De Kooning attended the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts and Techniques and was drawn to Cubism. He moved to the United States in 1926 and worked as a house painter. He was influenced by many avant-garde artists at this time and began to experiment with different painting techniques and processes. He became close friends with Arshile Gorky, whose death in 1948 deeply affected him. He turned to dark and violent paintings, which evolved into an obsession with the human figure. In 1952, de Kooning created the Women series, paintings of the female body in abstract and loosely rendered form. American painter and sculptor; born in the Netherlands; leading figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement.
Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®: ULAN 500000974.
The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.
Objects related to Willem De Kooning:
| Willem de Kooning | Minnie Mouse, 1971 | Lithograph printed in black ink on Arches paper |
ULAN biographical content is displayed with permission of the Getty Research Institute. Some ULAN content in some DAC artist records has been lightly edited. Content from the Getty Research Institute is © 2018 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.
