One of America's greatest painters, Willem de Kooning is a masterful colourist whose huge canvases are charged with enormous energy. The publication of this beautiful book, which presents eighty of de Kooning's finest paintings and painted works on paper from the early 1940s to the 1980s, coincides with the artist's ninetieth birthday in the spring of 1994. Organized thematically and chronologically, the book focuses on de Kooning's most noteworthy and original painted achievements: portraits from the early 1940s; black-and-white abstractions from 1945 to 1949 that established de Kooning as a leader of the abstract expressionist movement; monumental cityscape paintings from 1949 and 1950; key selections from the notorious Woman series of 1945 to 1954; highway and pastoral landscape abstractions from 1954 to 1960; lush figures in landscapes from 1966 to 1973; landscapes from the 1970s; and later expressive and calligraphic "tableaux." Drawing on new archival sources, essays by David Sylvester, Richard Shiff, and Marla Prather reassess de Kooning's critical status, examine his complex and evocative painting techniques, place him in the context of other artists and art movements of his era, and discuss the fundamental impact of his art on subsequent generations. The book serves as the catalogue for a major retrospective of de Kooning's work that will be on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington from 8 May 1994 to 5 September 1994, the Metropolitan Museum in New York from 6 October 1994 to 8 January 1995, and the Tate Gallery in London from 15 February 1995 to 7 May 1995.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning turns 90 this spring, and this handsome catalogue of a large retrospective at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., (which later travels to Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum) celebrates his virtuosity and ever-changing idioms. Aided by 80 color and 50 black-and-white plates, exhibit curator Prather presents commentaries on specific groups of paintings, such as the somber, enigmatic male figures from the 1930s, the urban and pastoral abstract landscapes of the '50s, the blossoming fields of color from the '70s and the feathery, luminous abstractions of the mid-1980s. Sylvester, an art critic, examines de Kooning's indebtedness to cubism as well as his influence on such artists as Joan Mitchell and Francis Bacon. Shiff, an art history professor at the University of Texas, provocatively explores de Kooning's preoccupation with certain recurring body features--eyes, mouth, breasts, genitals, feet--and shows how he fused the clasical tradition of nudity with contemporary styles in advertising and pop imagery.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Arriving in the United States as an illegal immigrant from Rotterdam in 1926, de Kooning became one of the most influential American painters of this century and a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism. This handsome catalog of 76 major works chronicles over 50 year of the artist's slashing style and shows how he freely moved between figure and abstract painting, changing focus throughout his career and often blurring the line between the two. David examines de Kooning's indebtedness to Cubism and influence on such artists as Francis Bacon and Joan Mitchell, Richard explores recurring themes and iconography, and Prather comments on groups of paintings from the 1930s to mid-1980s. This is de Kooning's best show ever. Essential for academic and museum libraries.
Russell T. Clement, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, Ut.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Russell T. Clement, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, Ut.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rich, colorful, and insightful,
By Shannon Green (Greenville, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Willem de Kooning: Paintings (Hardcover)
This is probably the best book about Willem De Kooning on the market. Along with a multitude of color plates David Sylvester offers historical, technical, and philisophical insights about Willem De Kooning and his life works. The large format makes viewing the artists works very enjoyable. The reading is not overly complicated as it paints a full portrait of the artist, his accomlishments, his techniques, and also offers an approach to understanding the significance of his work. A must have for any De Kooning, or Abstract Expressionist enthusiast.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive study on De Kooning,
By Claude Reich (Florianopolis, Brazil and Paris, France) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Willem de Kooning: Paintings (Hardcover)
This book is undoubtedly the best recent publication on De Kooning. Very complete, it encompasses the entire career of the artist with beautiful reproductions and a text partly written by one of the most sensible art critics of our time, the late David Sylvester (whose other writings on American Art I strongly recommend too). It was a catalogue for an exhibition held at the National Gallery in Washington in 1994, which, to this date remains a reference.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
more color plates please!,
By junk collector "Sam" (Antartica, GA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Willem de Kooning: Paintings (Hardcover)
Here is my problem with the book...While there are an abundant number of color plates in the book, many of the black and white plates I feel should have been treated to a color rendering.
This alone,would have made the book worth the high asking price. (I paid 60.00 for a used hardback) Also, the color plates are not as brilliant as what Rizolli Publishing has done ever so exquisitely with the recently released Hans Hoffman art book. I probably would have rated this product four stars instead of three, but I have been spoiled by the brilliant renderings of Rizolli Publishers.
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