Willem de Kooning at work

Drawing as foundation

De Kooning drawings are not studies for paintings. For him, drawing was a way of exploring. Through sketching, correcting, repeating, and deliberately surprising himself. This process was fundamental to his art in every medium and is visible on nearly every artwork he completed.

Change to stay the same

"I have to change to stay the same" (1981), is what he liked to say. And so his art never stood still. In over 120 pieces, you see how his drawing evolved across more than 65 years, from early drawings as a student to rapid charcoal sketches.

Gallery of Honour

Alongside these drawings, there are paintings and sculptures that established the artist's reputation, including Excavation (1950) and Pink Angels (c. 1945), and in the Gallery of Honour, close to the Night Watch, are Woman I (1950-1952) and Woman and Bicycle (1952-1953).

Willem de Kooning

Born and raised in Rotterdam, Willem de Kooning (1904–1997) developed a passion for drawing and painting at an early age. In 1926, he stowed away aboard a cargo ship bound for America. He settled in New York, where he worked during his first years as a house painter, illustrator and shop-window designer. The art world beckoned, however, and de Kooning made the transition to becoming an independent artist.

New York School

Following his breakthrough in the late 1940s, he became a key figure in the New York School, alongside contemporaries such as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko. In the decades that followed, de Kooning grew into one of the most influential modern artists. Although his work is often associated with Abstract Expressionism, he resisted every attempt to place him within a particular category.

Credits
Arnold Newman / Arnold Newman Collection via Getty Images.