Artcritical Roundtable Debates Drawing Focus in MoMA's de Kooning Retrospective
Last week, artcritical hosted a roundtable discussion via email to examine the Willem de Kooning retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Participants included Stephen Maine, Jennifer Riley, David Cohen, David Carrier, Ivan Gaskell, and Joan Waltemath. The dialogue emphasized the significance of drawing in de Kooning's studio practice, particularly noting the presence of working drawings and wall texts regarding his use of tracing paper. The drawing Portrait of Elaine from 1940-41 was identified as pivotal to the Woman series. The group compared de Kooning's approach to that of his peers, such as Jackson Pollock, and deliberated on the mixed reviews of the installation, touching on de Kooning's European influences and the balance between freedom and control.
Key facts
- A roundtable discussion about the Willem de Kooning retrospective was organized by artcritical.
- The conversation involved editors Stephen Maine, Jennifer Riley, David Cohen, David Carrier, Ivan Gaskell, and Joan Waltemath.
- The discussion took place via email over several days last week.
- The exhibition is at the Museum of Modern Art.
- A key focus was the emphasis on drawing as a studio tool and visual thinking.
- The 1940-41 pencil drawing Portrait of Elaine was presented as a gateway to the Woman series.
- Participants debated the quality of de Kooning's late works versus earlier periods.
- The roundtable referenced other artists including Jackson Pollock, Frans Hals, and Richard Hamilton.
Entities
Artists
- Willem de Kooning
- Stephen Maine
- Jennifer Riley
- David Cohen
- David Carrier
- Ivan Gaskell
- Joan Waltemath
- Jackson Pollock
- Frans Hals
- Giorgio Morandi
- Richard Hamilton
- Thomas Hess
- Rudy Burckhardt
- Peter Fuller
- Mikhail Bakhtin
- George Kubler
- Sue Williams
- J.M.W. Turner
- Charles Burchfield
- Hans Hofmann
- Edgar Degas
- Henri Matisse
- Auguste Rodin
- Pablo Picasso
- Alberto Giacometti
- Nicolas Poussin
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Eugène Delacroix
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
- Tintoretto
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Institutions
- artcritical
- Museum of Modern Art
- ARTnews
- Tate
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Detroit
- Michigan
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- Long Island
- New York
- The Springs
- Montauk
- Bolton Landing