WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)
WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)
WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)
1 More
WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)
4 More
Beyond Form: A Revolution in Expression
WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)

Small Painting I

Details
WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997)
Small Painting I
signed 'de Kooning' (lower left)
oil on paper laid down on canvas
8 ¼ x 7 ¼ in. (20.6 x 18 cm.)
Painted in 1958.
Provenance
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York
Anon. sale; Sotheby's, New York, 2 May 1985, lot 3
Acquired at the above sale by the family of the present owner
Literature
R. Snyder, A Glimpse of de Kooning, 1968 (video; studio view illustrated).
H. F. Gaugh, Willem de Kooning, New York, 1983, pp. 68 and 70, no. 60 (illustrated).
Exhibited
New York, Sidney Janis Gallery, Recent Paintings by Willem de Kooning, March 1962, n.p., no. 1 (illustrated).

Brought to you by

Michael Baptist
Michael Baptist Vice President, Specialist, Co-Head of Day Sale

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

Sign in
View Condition Report

Lot Essay

“In 1958, at the same time that he was at work on the abstract landscapes, de Kooning produced a group of small paintings in oil, each 8 by 7 in. Truncated forms, compact spatial planes, and densely pigmented surfaces make them, in all likelihood, the most monumental abstractions of their scale ever painted. They seem to be fragments cut from some once-colossal work, self-sufficient pieces small enough to fit in one’s hand, yet heavier than earth itself. Oskar Kokoschka once remarked that making a big painting is always easier than a small one, an axiom reaffirmed by the concentrated energy of de Kooning’s small, but far from diminutive series. Pantagruelian in toughness and wit, they exemplify another axiom of art history: monumentality exceeds physical scale.
Throughout his career de Kooning has experimented with numerous media, and the mid- to late 1950s was a technically rich period as he worked in pastel, pencil, ink, oil, and enamel, varying greatly the size of his paintings and drawings.” (H. F. Gaugh, Willem de Kooning, New York, 1983, pp. 68-70.)

More from Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale

View All
View All