Willem de Kooning Drawing | The Art Institute of Chicago

Willem de Kooning Drawing is the first exhibition to examine the expansive drawing practice of this renowned American artist who immigrated to New York from the Netherlands at the age of 22. While many Art Institute visitors may be familiar with de Kooning’s monumental painting Excavation (1950), a cornerstone of our collection, this exhibition marks the first solo presentation of the artist’s work at our museum since 1969.

This major gathering of works from across the globe reveals how the act of drawing was foundational to de Kooning’s entire artistic process and production—his paintings, sculptures, and printmaking, as well as his drawings—and showcases the totality of his graphic production, from his earliest existing works to his late calligraphic paintings.

Rigorously trained at the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam, de Kooning achieved a remarkable command of traditional drawing techniques while still in his teens. In 1926, he stowed away on a freight ship bound for the United States to pursue his dream of becoming an illustrator. Eventually arriving in New York City, de Kooning found work as a house painter, freelance commercial artist, and window display designer. At the same time, he became immersed in the New York art world, befriending artists such as Stuart Davis, Arshile Gorky, and John Graham and ultimately becoming a key figure of the movement that would be known as “Abstract Expressionism” or the “New York School” with such contemporaries as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko.

Ambiguity would become a distinguishing feature of de Kooning’s practice, as his work increasingly dissolved the boundaries between representation and abstraction, male and female figures, “high” and “low” art forms, and, in particular, the disciplines of drawing and painting. He stated, “I draw in paint, and usually I don’t feel so much difference between drawing and painting.” Compelled to continually innovate and surprise even himself, de Kooning began experimenting with unconventional drawing methods (such as working with his eyes closed), which opened up new directions for his art. He also often reused forms from his earlier artworks and adapted tools and techniques from his career as a commercial artist, resulting in a body of work that is both self-referential and inventive.

Willem de Kooning Drawing features more than 200 artworks from public and private collections around the world. The exhibition presents iconic works like the Art Institute’s Excavation and the Museum of Modern Art’s Woman I (1950–52), as well as significant and lesser-known drawings, paintings, sculptures, and prints, many of which have rarely—if ever—been seen by the public.

This landmark exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience the full scope of de Kooning’s drawing practice, shedding light not only on its evolution over seven decades but also on the ways it redefined the possibilities of modern and contemporary art.

Willem de Kooning Drawing is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and in consultation with The Willem de Kooning Foundation. The exhibition’s curatorial team includes the Art Institute of Chicago’s Kevin Salatino, Chair and Anne Vogt Fuller and Marion Titus Searle Curator, Prints and Drawings; Mel Becker Solomon, associate research curator, Prints and Drawings; and Charlotte Healy, senior research associate, Prints and Drawings, with contributions from Margaret Holben Ellis, exhibition paper conservator.

CATALOGUE

Willem de Kooning Drawing features nearly 250 works from the early 1920s through the 1980s, revealing the centrality of drawing to all aspects of de Kooning’s practice. This publication emphasizes materials and techniques, uncovering how the artist activated his line and the extent to which drawing was integral to his iconic paintings. Essays by eminent and emerging scholars and curators approach de Kooning’s work from a variety of perspectives—from examining his concept of “the glimpse” to reinterpreting his representations of women—demonstrating the artist’s enduring resonance.

Sponsors

Willem de Kooning Drawing is made possible through the lead support of The Willem de Kooning Foundation.

Major support is provided by the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris, The Regenstein Foundation Fund, and the Maureen & Edward Byron Smith, Jr. Exhibition Endowment Fund. 

Additional support is provided by the Lewis and Susan Manilow Fund and the Allan McNab Endowed Fund.

Members of the Luminary Trust provide annual leadership support for the museum’s operations, including exhibition development, conservation and collection care, and educational programming. The Luminary Trust includes an anonymous donor, Karen Gray-Krehbiel and John Krehbiel, Jr., Kenneth C. Griffin, the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris, Josef and Margot Lakonishok, Liz and Eric Lefkofsky, Ann and Samuel M. Mencoff, Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel, Cari and Michael J. Sacks, and the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation.