Rijksmuseum to Mount Major Willem de Kooning Survey in October

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will host "Willem de Kooning at Work," the largest European exhibition of the artist's work in four decades, opening in October. Featuring over 120 works, the show traces de Kooning's 65-year career with drawing as its central thread. Landmark pieces include the Art Institute of Chicago's Excavation (1950), MoMA's Woman I (1950–52), and the Whitney's Woman and Bicycle (1952–53), the latter displayed in the Gallery of Honor alongside Old Masters. The survey pairs rarely seen works on paper with major paintings, highlighting experimental techniques like rapid pencil sketches and works made with eyes closed. Concurrently, Fenix in Rotterdam will display three monumental bronze sculptures on its quay from July 18, commemorating the centenary of de Kooning's departure from the Netherlands. De Kooning, born in Rotterdam in 1904, stowed away to the U.S. in 1926, became a key New York School figure, and died in 1997. Market demand for his work is rising: four of his top 10 auction prices occurred in the last five years, with a record $68.9 million for Woman as Landscape (1954–55) at Christie's New York in 2018, a work featured in Gagosian's 2023 de Kooning show curated by Cecilia Alemani.