
Willem de KooningAmerican, 1904–1997May one see it?
New York, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
turn of the 1930s and 1940s
His own manner takes shape
De Kooning’s individual manner took shape at the turn of the 1930s and 1940s under the influence of Picasso and Miró.
1940s
Meets Franz Kline
De Kooning met the younger painter Franz Kline, who was also working in the figurative style of American realism and had been drawn to monochrome. Kline, who died young, became one of De Kooning’s closest artist friends; his influence is evident in De Kooning’s calligraphic black images of this period.
1943
Married: Elaine de Kooning
1943–1957
An “open” marriage with Elaine
Willem and Elaine’s marriage was later called an open marriage: both were casual about sex and about each other’s affairs. Elaine had affairs with men who helped further Willem’s career, such as the art critic Harold Rosenberg, the ARTnews editor Thomas B. Hess and Charles Egan, owner of the Charles Egan Gallery.