The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 17, 2024

Figure

Figure

1949
(American, 1904–1997)
America, 20th century
oil on cardboard
Framed: 55 x 44.5 x 8 cm (21 5/8 x 17 1/2 x 3 1/8 in.); Unframed: 46.7 x 36.8 cm (18 3/8 x 14 1/2 in.)
Contemporary Collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art 1964.1
© The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

De Kooning once famously stated, "Flesh was the reason oil painting was invented."

Description

By using rough, hasty brushstrokes, de Kooning gives us a glimpse into his process. He painted many women during the 1940s and 1950s, each time emphasizing the action of painting in his depictions of the female form.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions Press Release,” February 19, 1964, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 200 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 200 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Art of the Twentieth Century in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Dept. of Art History & Education, CMA, 1969. Mentioned: p. 3 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 250 archive.org
  • Willem de Kooning Retrospective. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 18, 2011-January 9, 2012).
    Museum of Modern Art, NYC (9/18/2011 - 1/9/2012): "Willem de Kooning Retrospective"
    Willem de Kooning: Tracing the Figure. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (February 10-April 28, 2002); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (June 27-September 8, 2002); National Gallery of Art, Landover, MD (September 29, 2002-January 5, 2003).
    Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles 2/10/02-4/24/02; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 6/15/02-9/8/02; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 9/29/02-1/5/03. "Willem de Kooning: Tracing the Figure," pl. 27.
    Also to: New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 6, 1994 - January 8, 1995; London: The Tate Gallery, February 15 - May 7, 1995
    Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, May 8 - September 5, 1994: "Willem de Kooning: Paintings," catalogue no. 24, reproduced color p. 123.
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    CMA, June 7 - September 8, 1991: "Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum," no catalogue
    CMA, November 1, 1983 - January 8, 1984: "The Figure: deKooning to Warhol," no catalogue
    Willem de Kooning: Pittsburgh International Series. Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA (organizer) (October 26, 1979-January 6, 1980).
    Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Museum of Art, October 26, 1979 - January 6, 1980: "Willem de Kooning: Pittsburgh International Series," catalogue no. 13, reproduced p. 44.
    Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11-October 10, 1965).
    Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).
    CMA, December, 1964: "Year in Review 1964," CMA Bulletin LI (December, 1964), p. 266, no. 163.
  • {{cite web|title=Figure|url=false|author=Willem de Kooning|year=1949|access-date=17 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.1