As the de facto leader of the New York avant-garde art movement of the 1950s known as Abstract Expressionism, Dutch-American painter Willem de Kooning blended figuration and abstraction in a revolutionary manner that has resonated for decades. His best-known paintings, which were most often of women but gesturally abstract, were unique and incredibly influential at the time. Today, de Kooning is widely considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
De Kooning trained in fine and commercial arts at the Rotterdam Academy in his hometown of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before immigrating to the United States in 1926. His first job in America was as a house painter in New Jersey, and the period left an indelible impression on him as he brought large brushes, loose strokes and fluid paints into his work as an artist. He also worked on public murals under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) program in the 1930s. De Kooning’s studies weren’t executed but they included some of his first abstractions, which showed the influence of like-minded artists as well as the music of the Jazz Age. His broad foundation in classical drawing and physical labor are evident even in the most abstract of his works, which amounted to a fusion of Cubism, Expressionism and Surrealism.
It was in New York that de Kooning found the space and an abundance of inspiration to pursue art full time. Surrounded by prominent artists like Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, Lee Krasner and Fernand Léger, de Kooning drew from the freedom and boldness with which they all approached their work. In 1943, he married Elaine de Kooning, a versatile and immensely talented New York painter with a significant role in the Abstract Expressionist movement.
A major motif in de Kooning’s work is the deconstructed female form. A collection of paintings demonstrative of this is now known as his “Woman” series of the early 1950s, which remains controversial more than half a century later. Drawing inspiration from photography in magazines and using vivid colors and expressive brushstrokes to unforgettable effect, de Kooning depicted his subjects as grotesque, sexualized and loosely abstracted forms, which many critics deemed angry and misogynistic. But it is this very fearlessness in visual and conceptual experimentation that made de Kooning a crucial figure of Abstract Expressionism.
Today, de Kooning’s work is among the most coveted art in the world. His Interchange (1955), with its bold lines and shapes executed in primary colors, is one of the most expensive paintings ever sold.
Find a collection of Willem de Kooning art on 1stDibs.
$19,500
Art Card: Willem de Kooning and Elaine de Kooning, 1953 (Hand Signed by BOTH)
By Willem de Kooning
Located in New York, NY
Art Card: Willem de Kooning and Elaine de Kooning, 1953 (Hand Signed by BOTH Willem de Kooning and Elaine de Kooning) from the Dan Pope collection, 1985 Offset lithograph postcard (S...
Postcard
$3,304
H 27.96 in W 26.38 in D 0.4 in
Yaacov Agam Lithograph "Tribute to Mondrian" 1975.
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Yaacov Agam Lithograph Tribute to Mondrian Number 50/100 Circa 1975 71 x 67 cms
Paper
$600
H 16 in W 13 in
Arizona Centennial First Day Issue Stamps and Envelope, autographed by Ed Mell
By Ed Mell
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Ed Mell 1942-2024 Original signatures on stamps and envelope. Custom presentation frame. Arizona Centennial Commemorative Stamp, Arizona First Day of Issue by Ed Mell, 1942-2024. C...
Postcard
Kate Moss (Crude Oils), Print on Card, 2005
By Banksy
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Kate Moss (Crude Oils), Print on Card, 2005 Rare promotional card from Banksy's now infamous 2005 Crude Oils exhibition (14th - 24th October 2005). The piece features an image of Ka...
Postcard
$1,121
H 23.23 in W 25.2 in D 0.4 in
Yvaral Lithograph "Structure géométrique 1" 1974.
By Yvaral (Jean-Pierre Vasarely)
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Yvaral Lithograph Structure géométrique 1 Signed in pencil Numbered 209/225 Circa 1974 59x64 cms 950 euros
Paper
$875
H 14.5 in W 20 in D 0.13 in
1966 Mercury Commuter Station Wagon, Antique Technical Car Illustration
By Joseph Yeager
Located in Soquel, CA
Highly detailed and precise illustration of a 1966 Mercury Commuter Station Wagon by Joseph Yeager (American, 20th Century). Signed in the lower right portion of the illustration. This piece is on heavy cardstock. Presented in a new black mat. No frame. Joseph "Joe" Yeager (American, 20th Century) was raised in Cleveland Ohio, where he went to art school at night and started his art career at 19. He was a commercial artist for the Cleveland Press...
Pencil, Postcard, Pen
Cajas-II
By Ricardo Mazal
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by world renown artist Ricardo Mazal exists in an edition of 50. The paper size is 37 inches h x 35 inches w and an image size of 27 inches h x 26 inches w. Born in Mexico City in 1950, Ricardo Mazal moved to Barcelona Spain in 1986, and since 1990 has lived and worked in New York City, as well as Santa Fe New Mexico. Mazal’s work explores the process of visual perception as it takes form in the human consciousness. His paintings depict the passage of time, not by illustrating events but by leaving their residue to dissipate in space like a still photograph of a speeding object blurred to abstraction. In the last decade he has been honored with ten individual museum exhibitions, including a retrospective at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (MARCO) in Monterrey. He has also shown at the Museo Nacional de Anthropologia, Mexico City and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. KORA follows the direction begun by La Tumba de La Reina Roja (The tomb of the Red Queen...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$600
H 11.25 in W 9.25 in
"Lady Liberty" Hand Sewn and Fibers on Vintage Americana by Han Cao
By Han Cao
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Lady Liberty is an original piece by Han Cao and is made from hand embroidery on found vintage postcard from the 1960s, with cotton thread. This piece measures 11...
Thread, Found Objects, Postcard
Signed Autograph Postcard
By Renato Guttuso
Located in Roma, IT
Autograph postcard signed by Renato Guttuso to the Countess Pecci-Blunt. On the front, there is a reproduction of a detail of the Leonardo's "Cenaco...
Postcard
Postcard from Naples
By Renato Guttuso
Located in Roma, IT
Autograph postcard written by Renato Guttuso to the Countess Anna Laetitia Pecci-Blunt. On the front, there is a black and white reproduction of a Neapolitan breathtaking landscape. ...
Postcard
$1,650
H 7 in W 5.25 in
Andy Warhol Memorial St. Patricks Cathedral 1987 (Andy Warhol death 1987)
By (after) Andy Warhol
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Andy Warhol Memorial Mass St. Patricks Cathedral, April 1, 1987, New York, NY (Andy Warhol death 1987): A set of 3 rare, historic cards announcing...
Offset, Paper, Postcard, Lithograph
Bhutan Abstraction with Yellow - 1
By Ricardo Mazal
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by world renown artist Ricardo Mazal exists in an edition of 30. Paper size is 35 inches h x 30 inches w with an image size of 26 inches h x 27 inches w. Born in Mexico City in 1950, Ricardo Mazal moved to Barcelona Spain in 1986, and since 1990 has lived and worked in New York City, as well as Santa Fe New Mexico. Mazal’s work explores the process of visual perception as it takes form in the human consciousness. His paintings depict the passage of time, not by illustrating events but by leaving their residue to dissipate in space like a still photograph of a speeding object blurred to abstraction. In the last decade he has been honored with ten individual museum exhibitions, including a retrospective at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (MARCO) in Monterrey. He has also shown at the Museo Nacional de Anthropologia, Mexico City and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. KORA follows the direction begun by La Tumba de La Reina Roja (The tomb of the Red Queen...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
From Bagheria
By Renato Guttuso
Located in Roma, IT
Autograph postcard signed by Renato Guttuso to the Countess Pecci-Blunt. On the front, there is a black and white reproduction of a landscape of Bagheria. On the back, there is a sta...
Postcard