De Kooning: A Retrospective

Elderfield (emer., MoMA) offers an introductory essay that analyzes early critical approaches to the artist and acquaints readers with the spatial complexities of de Kooning's paintings. Lake-materials…the many reproductions are invaluable, and Delphine Huisinga's meticulous chronologies are a boon to researchers. (Jerry Saltz New York Magazine)If you are looking for something jaw-dropping, then look no further than this sprawling retrospective devoted to one of the most important figures in 20th century American painting. (Carolina Miranda WNYC Culture)Predictably awe-inspiring… In its scale, crème-de-la-crème editing and processional sweep, it's MoMA in exc

With lavish, full-color documentation, this landmark publication is the most complete account of de Kooning's artistic career to date.Willem de Kooning was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 1904, and moved to the United States in 1926. His early figurative painting slowly gained attention, and his black-and-white abstractions of the late 1940s made him a leader among the New York Abstract Expressionists; but the early 1950s Woman paintings made him famous for the violence of their depiction. An introductory essay by John Elderfield, MoMA's Chief Curator Emeritus of Painting and Sculpture, provides an in-depth exploration of de Kooning's development, context and sources, theory of art and working methods. Published in conjunction with the first large-scale, multi-medium, posthumous retrospective of Willem de Kooning's career, this publication offers an unparalleled opportunity to appreciate the development of the artist's work as it unfolded over nearly seven decades, beginning with his early academic works, made in Holla

Read the Book If You Buy It I hesitated to buy this expensive book - I could find most of the pictures on the web and much of the bulk of the volume is writing, which you're supposed to read if you buy the book. Well, pictures in the book are printed better than those you find on the web AND the color is more faithful to that of the originals at the MOMA than you find in less expensive books After all, MOMA published the book.So, what about reading the writing? Well, in the early . Exemplary! PG Exemplary! This is all that a retrospective catalog can and should be! The reproductions are mostly really good; the text informative and sophisticated, with Elderfield's intro possibly at his best. The structure is clear and logical -- of course de Kooning's work lends itself to structuring the presentation into clear periods. Differently colored pages in each of the chronological sections, minutely explicate the materials he used -- a wonderful and va. de Kooning: A Retrospective hrpandora Although there is some "filler" with the same information being presented in different formats(time-lines, periods) the overall content of the survey is outstanding, if a bit overly wordy. The plates are great and numerous and well done. However, they cannot realistically (nor could they be expected to) offer the experience of seeing the works firsthand; the size and scale of most of the works is too large. In sum, if you were unable to get to the show,