Art, literature & historyStanding Man
Willem de Kooning · 1942
Willem de Kooning: 1904–1997
Other names (3)
Willem DeKooning, Willem De Kooning, William de Kooning
Biography
Willem de Kooning ( də KOO-ning, Dutch: [ˈʋɪləm də ˈkoːnɪŋ]; April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a Dutch abstract expressionist artist. Born in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, he moved to the United States in 1926, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1962. In 1943, he married painter Elaine Fried.
In the years after World War II, De Kooning painted in a style that came to be referred to as abstract expressionism or "action painting", and was part of a group of artists that came to be known as the New York School. Other painters in this group included Jackson Pollock, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Arshile Gorky, Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, John Ferren, Nell Blaine, Conrad Marca-Relli, James Brooks, Adolph Gottlieb, Jack Tworkov, Norman Lewis, Anne Ryan, Robert Motherwell, Philip Guston, Clyfford Still, and Richard Pousette-Dart. De Kooning's retrospective held at MoMA in 2011–2012 rendered him one of the best-known artists of the 20th century.
Wikipedia contributors. Opening excerpt, formatted for reading. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision.
Influenced by
- Edward Hoppereditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Pablo Picassoeditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Chaim Soutineeditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
Later influence
- Tom Wesselmanneditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified. Teaching is recorded separately and does not itself establish artistic influence.
- Robert Rauschenbergeditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified. Teaching is recorded separately and does not itself establish artistic influence.
- Cecily Browneditorial inference
Evidence
Reviewed the named influence and direction in the source passage. Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Elaine de Kooningeditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified.
- Helen Frankenthalereditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Lee Krasnereditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Cy Twomblyeditorial inference
Evidence
Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Wayne Thiebaudeditorial inference
Evidence
The biography identifies Willem de Kooning among the New York artists influencing Thiebaud during 1956–57. Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
- Nathan Oliveiraeditorial inference
Evidence
The biography identifies Willem de Kooning as an artistic influence on Nathan Oliveira. The passage distinguishes Oliveira's own account from his formative visits to Expressionist retrospectives. Explicit secondary-source assertion; independent historical verification remains pending.
Artworks by year
Loading chronology…Museum / collectionAll collections
Finding recorded artworks…
Museums & collections
Documented holdings of works attributed to Willem de Kooning. Check the museum’s record for current display information.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art19 recorded works
- National Gallery of Art12 recorded works
- Art Institute of Chicago8 recorded works
- Museum of Modern Art4 recorded works
- The Cleveland Museum of Art3 recorded works
- National Gallery of Australia1 recorded work
- Philadelphia Museum of Art1 recorded work
- Tate1 recorded work
Sources 9
- Wikidata (CC0)
- National Gallery of Art
- Museum authority country review
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Museum authority country review
- Tate Collection metadata (October 2014 snapshot)
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Expanded artwork research — official museum evidence
- Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)
