Wlliem de Kooning: A Retrospective
–de Kooning | MoMA
September 18, 2011–January 9, 2012
This is the first major museum exhibition devoted to the full scope of the career of Willem de Kooning, widely considered to be among the most important and prolific artists of the 20th century. The exhibition, which will only be seen at MoMA, presents an unparalleled opportunity to study the artist’s development over nearly seven decades, beginning with his early academic works, made in Holland before he moved to the United States in 1926, and concluding with his final, sparely abstract paintings of the late 1980s. Bringing together nearly 200 works from public and private collections, the exhibition will occupy the Museum’s entire sixth-floor gallery space, totaling approximately 17,000 square feet.
Two Figures in a Landscape | 1967 Oil on canvas 70 x 6′ 8″ - Collection Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Representing nearly every type of work de Kooning made, in both technique and subject matter, this retrospective includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints. Among these are the artist’s most famous, landmark paintings—among them Pink Angels (1945), Excavation (1950), and the celebrated third Woman series (1950–53)—plus in-depth presentations of all his most important series, ranging from his figurative paintings of the early 1940s to the breakthrough black-and-white compositions of 1948–49, and from the urban abstractions of the mid 1950s to the artist’s return to figuration in the 1960s, and the large gestural abstractions of the following decade. Also included is de Kooning’s famous yet largely unseen theatrical backdrop, the 17-foot-square Labyrinth (1946).
Woman II - 1952 Oil on canvas 59 x 43″ (149.9 x 109.3 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller
Methods & Materials
MoMA Chief Conservator Jim Coddington conducted extensive studies of Woman II (1952) and Rider (Untitled VII) (1985). Close examination of the surfaces reveals traces of de Kooning’s process—from pinholes and charcoal fragments to turpentine drips—while infrared and X-ray imaging allows conservators to delve beneath the surface, revealing under-drawings and compositions otherwise obscured by subsequent layers. Chemical analysis helps us decipher the mediums with which de Kooning experimented, including cooking oils he added to extend the wetness and workability of paints. Combined with archival studio photographs, oral histories, and other documentation, these clues help construct a more robust picture of de Kooning’s materials and studio practice.
Organized by John Elderfield, Chief Curator Emeritus of Painting and Sculpture.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis.
Major support is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Additional generous funding is provided by Anne and Kenneth Griffin, Sid R. Bass, Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation, Inc., Donald L. Bryant, Jr., The Dubin Family, Glenstone, Robert B. Menschel, Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker, Jerry I. Speyer and Katherine G. Farley, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Gary and Karen Winnick, and Peter G. Peterson.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
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