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.
Willem De Kooning Abstract on Newspaper
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Dallas, TX
Willem de Kooning (Dutch, 1904 - 1997) Abstract oil on Newspaper (NY Times, Friday Jan. 26, 1973). Pencil signed lower left. Provenance: - Private Collector, East Hampton New York;...
Oil, Newsprint
$600
H 17 in W 12.25 in D 1 in
"Abstract Composition (Blue, Amber and Green)" Mixed Media Painting on Paper
By Suki Maguire
Located in New York, NY
This piece is an abstract composition done with mixed media, oil and acrylic paints on paper. The artist explores an incredible world filled with color and expressive brushstrokes. The lines and texture create a mature abstract composition as Suki Maguire has been painting in this field since the 1970s. Her joy is the expression and we can find these notes displayed vividly in this piece. This piece comes displayed in a modern light wood floating frame under glass. Art measures 9 x 6 in Frame measures 17 x 12.25 in There is a great potential for discovery in Maguire's world of symbols, but a passing glance will not do, you have to allow your gaze to linger on this part and that of each painting so that your subconscious will have the opportunity to retrieve the elusive forms that seem to be hiding within the more obvious shapes. This holds true even in those works that incorporate letters of the Korean or Latin alphabet, which serve as glyphs bearing some symbolic meaning that goes beyond the mere representation of sound. She has exhibited internationally in Seoul, Nantucket, New York, and Italy. Her styles and materials have ranged from realism to abstract, from water and oil colors to acrylics and coffee grounds. Suki Maguire (Kim Jong...
Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Newsprint
$379Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 25.75 in D 0.1 in
Large French Abstract Painting with Cut Out Collage Artwork Listed Artist
By Bernard Herzog
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Stunning and completely unique one of a kind original artwork - by the well listed French abstract painter, Bernard Herzog (b.1935). During the latter part of his career, like Henr...
House Paint, Magazine Paper, Newsprint
$3,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 40 in D 2 in
WILD HORSES-3, Original Signed Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Painting
By William O'Connor
Located in Boston, MA
WILD HORSES-3, Original Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Painting, 2021 30" x 40" x 2" (HxWxD) Oil and Newspaper on Canvas Hand-signed by the artist. This large-format oil painti...
Canvas, Oil, Newsprint
California Monoprint
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Artist : Kory Twaddle Title : California Monoprint Materials : Tempera on paper Date : 2008 Dimensions : 36 x 24 x .1 in. Kory Twaddle is a Kansas City based artist and Research A...
Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...
$850
H 54 in W 54 in D 1.5 in
"Against Apartheid", Mixed Media on Linen with Assemblage Elements, 1982-1984
Located in Astoria, NY
Roni Nicholson (American, XX-XXI), "Against Apartheid", Mixed Media on Linen with Assemblage Elements, 1982-1984, signed, titled, and dated verso, unframed. 54" H x 54" W x 1.5" D....
Textile, Linen, Wood, Found Objects, Mixed Media, Oil, Newsprint
$45,000
H 40.5 in W 63.5 in
"M-3-73 (#CO-02892)" Conrad Marca-Relli, Ab-Ex, Newsprint, Collage, White Forms
Located in New York, NY
Conrad Marca-Relli M-3-73 (#CO-02892), 1973 Signed and titled "MARCA-RELLI M-3-73" on the reverse Oil, burlap canvas, and newsprint collage on canvas 39 x 62 inches Provenance Marlb...
Canvas, Burlap, Oil, Newsprint
$19,000
H 50 in W 40 in D 1.5 in
"Fragments" - Vibrant Mixed Media Contemporary Abstract in Warm Pastel Palette
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) "Fragments", 2022 Oil paint, Newsprint, Ink, Mixed Media, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the back of the painting. "Fragments" is a...
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media, Ink, Newsprint, Stretcher Bars
$11,000
H 30 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
'Untitled' by Steven H. Rehfeld - Blue Series - Contemporary Mixed Media
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, 1954) 'Untitled' - Blue Series, 2013 Oil paint, newsprint, gesso, wax, mixed media, canvas, stretcher bars The artist signed the back of the painting. A...
Canvas, Wax, Oil, Gesso, Newsprint, Stretcher Bars
$8,000
H 24 in W 24 in D 1.5 in
"Breaking News" - Red, Orange, and Blue Textured Mixed Media Abstract Artwork
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) "Breaking News" 2001 Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Pencil, Newsprint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the back of the painting. The piece ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Newsprint, Pencil, Stretcher Bars
Nerve Center
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Artist : Kory Twaddle Title : Nerve Center Materials : Acrylic, gouache, postage stamps, and mixed media on paper Date : 2018 Dimensions : 24 x 36 x 0.3 inches Kory Twaddle is a Ka...
Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...
$11,000
H 30 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
"Singularity" - Bright and Colorful Mixed Media Textured Abstract Painting
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) "Singularity" 2014 Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Newsprint, Paper, Glue, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the back of the painting. This pi...
Mixed Media, Oil, Canvas, Paper, Glue, Newsprint, Stretcher Bars
$11,500
H 36 in W 36 in D 1.5 in
"Untitled" - Bright Colorful Mixed Media Textured Contemporary Abstract Artwork
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) "Untitled" 2023 Oil paint, paper, newsprint, tissue paper, glue, mixed media, canvas, stretcher bars The artist signed the back of the paintin...
Canvas, Paper, Glue, Mixed Media, Oil, Stretcher Bars, Newsprint, Tissue...
Willem De Kooning Abstract on Newsprint
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Dallas, TX
Willem de Kooning (Dutch, 1904 - 1997) Abstract Oil on Newspaper painting (NY Times, Friday Jan. 26, 1973). Pencil signed lower right. Provenance: - Private Collector, East Hampton...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled 1975 - Original Oil on Canvas, Signed
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Paris, IDF
Willem DE KOONING Untitled, c. 1970/75 Original oil on canvas Signed bottom left On canvas 50.8 x 76.2 cm (c. 20 x 30 inch) Presented in a black frame 64 x 89 cm (c. 26 x 36 inch) ...
Oil
Untitled
By Willem de Kooning
Located in New Orleans, LA
Willem de Kooning1904-1997 Dutch-American Untitled Oil on paper on canvas Signed de Kooning 78 (lower right) With his unprecedented artistic exploration, Willem de Kooning is celebrated as one of the most critically important artists of the 20th century. A founding member of Abstract Expressionism, his canvases reflect the unpredictable experience of life, filtered through his highly unique and unbridled painterly expression. Exceeding the confines of paint and canvas, as well as the boundaries of representation and abstraction, this untitled work from 1978 represents the artist's mastery over both medium and muse. A veritable assault on the canvas, Untitled embodies the unrestrained, visceral execution of de Kooning's greatest works. His nearly frantic brushwork and heavy lines delineate a distorted, fleshy female form, a recurrent motif in de Kooning's oeuvre. With his lifelong devotion to the female form, de Kooning was singular among the Abstract Expressionists for his commitment to the figurative. Considered today one of the most important figures in American art history, de Kooning was born in 1904 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In his youth, he attended evening classes at the academy of fine arts in Rotterdam, now known as the Willem de Kooning Academia. From an early age, he was drawn to the near-abstract forms of Cubism, and the influence of Picasso in particular is felt throughout de Kooning's oeuvre. He came to the United States at the age of 22 as a penniless stowaway on a British freighter, and eventually joined the art colony in Woodstock, New York. Making his way to New York City, he met some of the artist's active in the Modernist movement in Manhattan, most notably Arshile Gorky. During this period, de Kooning began painting still life and figural works, but it was not long before he moved towards abstraction. By 1936, de Kooning's work was hanging in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he soon joined Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko as a leader of America's first great modern art movement: Abstract Expressionism. Circa 1978 Frame: 32 5/8" high x 27 7/8" wide Canvas: 23 3/4" high x 18 7/8" wide Provenance: Purchased from Willem de Kooning by his dentist Private Collection of dentist, New York until 2008 Private Collection M.S. Rau Antiques...
Oil, Paper
Untitled
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Palm Desert, CA
oil on newspaper Provenance: Matthew Marks Gallery
Newsprint, Oil