|
|
Article: Willem de Kooning, 1904-1997. (artist)(Obituary)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- May 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Reams of trivia about de Kooning the drunk, womanizer, basket case, etc., have just about buried de Kooning the artist. Too bad, because for me and most avant-garde artists I knew in the 1 950s he was the painter. He was so revered by the habitues of the Cedar Street Tavern and the Club that their conversation was studded with "me and Bill."
What was it about de Kooning that gripped us? His masterful painting and his deflection of the grand tradition of Western painting into a brand-new style. He was a "conservative," as he said, tipping his brush to his European "fathers," both old masters (Rembrandt and Rubens) and modern ones (Picasso, Miro and Soutine). But he ...