Woman
1 of 3
Object Label
In this dynamic work, part of Willem de Kooning’s Woman series, the image is neither fully abstract nor completely representational. Human body parts, though discernible, are obscured by rich and frenzied painterly lines. Facial features are the artist’s only concession to an identifiable figure. The masklike face, flattened forms, and almond-shaped eyes show the influence of Pablo Picasso, whose work fascinated de Kooning from an early age.
Born in the Netherlands, de Kooning came to the United States in 1926 in pursuit of the American dream as a stowaway aboard a British freighter.
Caption
Willem de Kooning (American, born Holland, 1904–1997). Woman, 1953–1954. Oil on paper board, 35 3/4 × 24 3/8 in. (90.8 × 61.9 cm) frame: 43 5/16 × 32 × 2 1/4 in. (110 × 81.3 × 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 57.124. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Woman
Date
1953–1954
Medium
Oil on paper board
Classification
Dimensions
35 3/4 × 24 3/8 in. (90.8 × 61.9 cm) frame: 43 5/16 × 32 × 2 1/4 in. (110 × 81.3 × 5.7 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower left: "de Kooning"
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection
Accession Number
57.124
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