Seated Woman

Currently not on view

Seated Woman

c. 1940

Willem de Kooning (American (born Netherlands), 1904–1997)

This composition is an early work from Willem de Kooning's long sequence of paintings of women that culminated in one of the most aggressive revisions of the female figure in the history of art. Began as a study for a commissioned portrait that the artist never completed, the portrait served as a vehicle for de Kooning to explore his ongoing interest in amalgamating figurative subjects with the pictorial concerns of abstraction. While the willful anatomical distortions reflect the influence of Pablo Picasso, the seated figure also recalls the sensuous women painted by the nineteenth-century French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, with their tightly fitted bodices and delicate features.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Seated Woman

Date:

c. 1940

Artist:

Willem de Kooning (American (born Netherlands), 1904–1997)

Medium:

Oil and charcoal on Masonite

Dimensions:

54 1/16 × 36 inches (137.3 × 91.4 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The Albert M. Greenfield and Elizabeth M. Greenfield Collection, 1974

Accession Number:

1974-178-23

Geography:

Made in United States, North and Central America

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

Currently not on view