Willem de Kooning: Breakthrough Years – Rediscovering the Artist’s Rise to Fame
Princeton University Art Museum is offering a rare opportunity to revisit a pivotal moment in the career of Willem de Kooning with “Willem de Kooning: The Breakthrough Years, 1945–50,” an exhibition running through . The show focuses on the five years surrounding de Kooning’s debut exhibition at the Charles Egan Gallery in Latest York in 1948, a show that propelled him to international recognition and, by the end of the decade, cemented his position as a leading figure in American art.
The exhibition features eighteen paintings from this formative period, revealing de Kooning’s experimentation with the delicate balance between abstraction and figuration. Although not a direct recreation of the 1948 Egan Gallery show, “The Breakthrough Years” provides an intimate seem into the artist’s creative process during that time, showcasing key works like “Black Friday” and “Dark Pond.”
According to show co-curator John Elderfield, de Kooning deliberately waited until he had a substantial body of work before presenting his first solo exhibition. “He wanted to wait until he really had a body of work that he felt good about,” Elderfield explained. “He came up with an exhibition that had about a dozen works.” This careful curation reflected de Kooning’s desire to present a cohesive and impactful statement.
Prior to the 1948 exhibition, de Kooning enjoyed a strong reputation within artistic circles, but lacked widespread public acclaim. The influential art critic Clement Greenberg played a crucial role in broadening de Kooning’s audience with a pivotal review of the Egan Gallery show. Greenberg’s writing helped to elevate de Kooning’s profile and establish him as a significant force in the evolving art world.
The exhibition highlights the distinctive characteristics of de Kooning’s work during this period. The palette is notably restrained, dominated by blacks and tans, punctuated by occasional bursts of color – the electric yellow in “Secretary” and the warm ocher in “Gansevoort Street” being prime examples. Elderfield notes the intensity achieved through this limited color scheme, describing how de Kooning used black “as a color, which makes these paintings seem extraordinarily vivid and incredibly present.” The artist’s dynamic lines and masterful use of shading create a compelling interplay of form and space.
The mid-to-late 1940s were a period of significant growth and experimentation for de Kooning, marking his emergence as a leader of the New York School. “What happened in the 40s was absolutely transformative in his career,” Elderfield stated. “He becomes an absolutely mature artist in that five-year period.” This period also saw the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) acquire one of his paintings, simply titled “Painting,” in 1948, a landmark moment for the artist.
De Kooning’s artistic development during this time was also intertwined with his relationship with fellow Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock. Elderfield suggests a degree of artistic rivalry between the two, noting that some of de Kooning’s works after the Egan exhibition appeared to be a response to Pollock’s growing prominence. “Part of his development as an artist was intertwined with the fact that Pollock was making waves at the time,” Elderfield explained. “Some of his works after the Egan exhibition seem to be in competition with Pollock.”
Despite his artistic genius, de Kooning wasn’t particularly focused on self-promotion. His wife, Elaine de Kooning, a talented artist in her own right, often took on the role of his advocate, playing a key role in organizing the Charles Egan show and helping him navigate the art world. “His wife was realizing that other artists were getting a lot of coverage given that they were having shows, so she pushed him to have a show,” Elderfield said. “I think de Kooning felt like he didn’t really have a whole group of paintings together and he was being pushed along by her.”
Elaine also assisted de Kooning with the often-overlooked task of titling his paintings. She, along with colleagues from the Egan gallery, participated in informal naming sessions. “They’re all sitting in the galleries, drinking, having a good time, and they say: ‘What are we going to call these?’” Elderfield recounted. “It’s just names they thought that people would remember them by.” De Kooning himself was largely indifferent to the titles, and in some cases, collectors even took the liberty of naming the works after their acquisition.
De Kooning continued to evolve throughout his career, famously returning to figuration with his “woman” paintings. This willingness to challenge expectations and embrace change was a hallmark of his artistic practice. His shift back to figuration even drew criticism from Pollock, who viewed it as a betrayal of their shared commitment to abstraction. “Pollock said: ‘You’ve betrayed the cause by making figurative paintings again,’” Elderfield relayed.
De Kooning’s work continues to resonate with artists and audiences alike. Sculptor Richard Serra is among those who have drawn inspiration from the paintings featured in “The Breakthrough Years.” While de Kooning’s most celebrated works often command record-breaking prices at auction, Elderfield suggests that the paintings in this exhibition offer a different kind of reward. “The ones that are bravura paintings are the ones that seem to attract people most,” he said. “Collectors like to have works where people approach into their home and say: ‘Oh look at the de Kooning!’ but they probably won’t say it about these works.”
the exhibition at Princeton University Art Museum provides a valuable opportunity to appreciate the depth and complexity of de Kooning’s artistic vision. As Elderfield aptly put it, “Trying to do a selection of de Kooning’s work is like picking clouds from the sky. There’s too many of them.” The eighteen paintings on display offer a compelling glimpse into a remarkably fertile period in the artist’s career.