Willem de Kooning Autograph

Profession:
(1904 - 1997) Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and moved to New York in 1927

Year of Birth: 1904

Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-American artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings. He was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 1904 and moved to the United States in 1926. De Kooning's work is considered to be among the most influential of the 20th century, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest painters of the modern era.

De Kooning was initially trained in the Dutch tradition of painting and worked in commercial art and advertising in his early years. He was a part of the New York avant-garde of the 1940s and 1950s, and he was an important contributor to the abstract expressionist movement that emerged in the 1950s. He is best known for his abstract expressionist paintings, which often featured large, expressive brush strokes and thick applications of paint to create bold and intense compositions.

De Kooning's most famous works include 'Woman I' (1950-1952), 'Excavation' (1950), and 'Montauk I' (1969). His works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. In 1993, de Kooning was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton.

In addition to his painting, de Kooning was also an influential teacher and mentor to many younger artists. He taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, at the University of New Mexico, and at the University of California, Berkeley. He was also a part of a group of artists known as the New York School, which included Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

De Kooning's work has had a lasting influence on the art world, and he has been widely celebrated by art critics and historians. His work has been the subject of numerous retrospectives, and his paintings are included in many major art collections around the world. He also received numerous awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1955 and the National Medal of Arts in 1993.

Willem de Kooning died in 1997 at the age of 93, leaving behind a legacy of art that continues to inspire and influence the world. He was a masterful painter and teacher who pushed the boundaries of art, and his works have helped to shape the history of modern art.