Painter

Willem de Kooning

Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-born American painter whose vigorous brushwork, shifting figures, and repeated revisions shaped Abstract Expressionism.

Willem de Kooning quick facts

De Kooning moved between figuration and abstraction, repeatedly scraping, repainting, and revising surfaces as part of his painting process.

Willem de Kooning quick facts
Full name	Willem de Kooning
Born	1904 · Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died	1997 · East Hampton, New York, United States
Nationality	Dutch-born American
Movements	Abstract Expressionism; New York School
Paint types	Oil paint · Enamel paint · Metallic paint
Other media	Charcoal drawing
Other materials	—
Painting surfaces	Canvas · Paper
Painting methods	Repeated scraping and repainting, thick and thin oil strokes, and enamel-and-charcoal work on paper
Common subjects	Women, urban landscapes, highways, abstract forms, and the Long Island landscape
Notable works	Woman I · Pink Angels · Excavation · …Whose Name Was Writ in Water

De Kooning used oil, enamel, and metallic paint across canvases and works on paper, with museum records identifying distinct media in key works.

Oil paint

In Woman I (1950–52), oil and metallic paint on canvas, de Kooning repeatedly scraped away and repainted sections over nearly two years. Thin and thick strokes, sharply contrasting colors, and exposed revisions build a figure that seems to emerge from surrounding abstraction. MoMA's conservation and collection account distinguishes this sustained reworking from a single burst of spontaneous painting.
Enamel paint

MoMA identifies Woman (1949–50) as enamel and charcoal on paper mounted on canvas. The drawn lines and industrial coating belong to a work on paper, not a conventional oil painting; the museum's medium record does not specify a proprietary enamel formula.
Metallic paint

Woman I (1950–52) includes metallic paint alongside oil, according to MoMA. The museum names both media on the canvas but does not identify a specific metallic pigment, so the reflective material should not be described as gold or silver leaf. De Kooning’s repeated revisions remain visible across the layered surface.

De Kooning used canvas for large abstract paintings and paper for smaller works, including a sheet mounted on canvas with enamel and charcoal.

Canvas

De Kooning’s large abstract paintings, including Woman I, are documented on canvas. He scraped, repainted, and revised the surface over time, leaving thick strokes and visible changes in the finished image rather than concealing the process. The large format allows these revisions to remain legible.
Paper

De Kooning also made works on paper, including Woman (1949–50), enamel and charcoal on paper mounted on canvas. The sheet is the immediate painted surface and canvas a secondary backing, a construction distinct from his large oil paintings. The museum record specifies this layered support.