International Art Treasures Web Magazine

March  2005  

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An American Masterpiece

Dutch-born American Willem de Kooning is the subject of an excellent biography spanning the highlights and low times of his life. Exhibitions, relationships, demons of drink and development of the artwork all find equal treatment in the life of the painter.

Early in the narrative, as the artist spends his first weeks in his adopted country, an insignificant moment impresses upon him the positive change he has made for his future. Willem is captivated with a man rapidly pouring coffee to fill as many cups as possible in a brief time. This is a change for the Dutchman whose experience in Rotterdam was of deliberation of effort not to waste a drop of the beverage. The anecdotal incident is referred to occasionally, to demonstrate a recurring theme, that of the fish out of water but preferring his new accommodations nonetheless. This key concept must be grasped and remembered to understand the decisions de Kooning makes in life and art.

Throughout the pages are images of de Kooning, his friends, homes and art. There is a significant section of illustrations of the best known artwork from an early still life through Pink Angels, Zurich, Excavation, Woman I to Garden in Delft. The colored imagery presented in chronological order, as is the biography, are a bonus for the reader to view the piece while reading of its creation.

Willem de Kooning's life wasn't easy. His childhood was brutal which likely led to his problematic relationships throughout his life, coupled with his dependency on alcohol, possibly to dull the pain. The lesson of his life is one of self reliance. It took courage to leave his home, come to the United States, work as an artist during the Depression Years and times where his art genres were rejected and then embraced. Turbulence and triumph. That is Willem's legacy as told in de Kooning An American Master. The book is fascinating from the introduction onwards delving into the unique Dutchman and his profound influence on 20th Century American art.

Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swann's biography of the American Master Willem de Kooning is itself an American masterpiece.

Random House

www.randomhouse.com