Willem de Kooning

Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-born American artist (Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1904–New York, United States, 1997). He emigrated to the United States in 1926 and settled in New York, where he developed much of his career. He is considered a central figure of Abstract Expressionism and the so-called New York School.

His painting is known for its gestural energy, strong use of color, and tension between abstraction and figuration. Throughout his career, he worked with figures, landscapes, and abstract compositions, always with a free and dynamic brushstroke. His paintings from the Women series, developed in the early 1950s, are among the most recognized works in his production.

His work is part of collections such as MoMA, Tate, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the National Gallery of Art. His awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, the Edward MacDowell Medal in 1975, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and the Praemium Imperiale for Painting in 1989.