1 of 3
Object Label
In this dynamic work, part of Willem de Kooning’s Woman series, the image is neither fully abstract nor completely representational. Human body parts, though discernible, are obscured by rich and frenzied painterly lines. Facial features are the artist’s only concession to an identifiable figure. The masklike face, flattened forms, and almond-shaped eyes show the influence of Pablo Picasso, whose work fascinated de Kooning from an early age.
Born in the Netherlands, de Kooning came to the United States in 1926 in pursuit of the American dream as a stowaway aboard a British freighter.
Caption
Willem de Kooning American, born Holland, 1904–1997. Woman, 1953–1954. Oil on paper board, 35 3/4 × 24 3/8 in. (90.8 × 61.9 cm) frame: 43 5/16 × 32 × 2 1/4 in. (110 × 81.3 × 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 57.124. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 57.124_reference_PS2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Woman
Date
1953–1954
Medium
Oil on paper board
Classification
Dimensions
35 3/4 × 24 3/8 in. (90.8 × 61.9 cm) frame: 43 5/16 × 32 × 2 1/4 in. (110 × 81.3 × 5.7 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower left: "de Kooning"
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection
Accession Number
57.124
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
Copyright for this work may be controlled by the artist, the artist's estate, or other rights holders. A more detailed analysis of its rights history may, however, place it in the public domain. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at