Eight Underrated Masterpieces by Willem de Kooning To Know

Feature image: Willem de Kooning, Abstraction, 1949-50; via Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Credit: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. Copyright: © The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Willem de Kooning holds a central place in the history of twentieth-century art. His work shaped the rise of Abstract Expressionism and set a foundation for the visual language of postwar painting. Many viewers know his most famous works, especially the Woman series, which appears in most surveys of modern art. These paintings dominate the conversation to such an extent that other parts of his practice often stay in the shadows. Yet his lesser-known works offer a fuller view of his artistic range. These paintings show an artist who shaped form with intention, who explored color with ambition, and who worked with both structure and gesture in equal measure.

They also reveal a restless curiosity. De Kooning shifted between styles with agility, moving from biomorphic figuration to structured line work, from black-and-white compositions to lush landscapes, and finally to the luminous openness of his late abstractions, inspiring viewers to see his work as a journey of continuous exploration.

Pink Angels represents a key moment in his development. It sits between the biomorphic style of Surrealism and the rising emphasis on gesture in American art. The figures drift between abstraction and suggestion, and the pink palette offers a vibrant sense of movement. The work reveals the early influence of European modernism and shows how he began to build a personal approach to form. The tension between line and mass creates a dynamic field that prepares the viewer for his later breakthroughs. It also highlights his ability to turn hybrid forms into a coherent pictorial space.

The attic presents a dense composition of white planes that interlock across the surface. The work carries a strong architectural presence. Forms shift like beams and supports within a complex structure. This painting gives insight into his analytical side, which often receives less attention in discussions that focus on spontaneity. In Attic, each stroke operates within a framework that balances order and motion. The clear sense of design makes this one of his most thoughtful early works. The painting suggests a mental blueprint of the ideas that would later animate his most iconic canvases.

Excavation stands as a monumental achievement. Lines weave across the canvas, forming a system of contours that pulse with vitality. Although the painting receives praise among scholars, it sits just outside the popular narrative that centers on his figurative works. The painting displays his skill with scale and his ability to control an entire composition through linear rhythm. The surface vibrates with layers of thought. It reflects his deep engagement with drawing as a foundation for painting. It also demonstrates how he approached the canvas as a site of excavation, where forms appear through repeated searching.

Gotham News reflects the rhythm of New York City. The composition carries an urban pulse through its layered strokes and bright contrasts. The painting connects his abstraction to the cultural landscape that surrounded the Abstract Expressionists. It brings the city into the studio through energy and motion. The work charts the growing interplay between place and abstraction. It also highlights his interest in fractured forms that suggest figures, buildings, and signals inside a single visual field. Through this work, the viewer sees the intensity of mid-century New York translated into a purely painterly language.

During his time in Rome, de Kooning responded to the Italian landscape with a new openness. Villa Borghese shows this shift. The painting blends warm tones with sweeping strokes that glide across the surface. The composition offers a lyrical quality that differs from the intensity of his New York period. The work shows how travel enriched his palette and expanded his sense of space. The strokes move with ease, creating a sense of light across the canvas. This painting reveals how geography shaped his artistic development, pushing him toward a more atmospheric approach.

This painting synthesizes landscape, memory, and myth. The title references Homer, yet the visual language feels grounded in the light of East Hampton. Pink tones sweep across the surface like an early morning sky. The composition rests between abstraction and suggestion. It shows an artist who shifted between figure, landscape, and gesture with equal confidence. This work offers an essential view of his middle period, which blended color and movement with great elegance. It also demonstrates his interest in the poetic potential of natural light.

His late paintings present a refined and open approach to form. Untitled XIX shows a bright palette and a loose sense of placement. The gestures span large areas of white space. The painting reflects his commitment to clarity and simplicity during the 1980s. The reduced elements allow each stroke to carry expressive weight. This work shows a mature artist who explored the essence of movement through soft arcs and luminous colors. It also offers a quiet confidence that adds depth to his late period.

This painting belongs to the luminous body of work that defined his early 1980s period. Untitled III presents broad arcs of color that float across a calm white ground, which creates a sense of clarity and lift. The strokes feel deliberate yet airy, and the soft palette offers a measured balance between motion and stillness. The work captures his interest in spacious compositions that allow each gesture to stand on its own. It also reflects the distilled confidence of his late practice, which pursued openness, light, and the pure rhythm of paint across canvas.

These paintings widen the story of Willem de Kooning. They reveal a practice shaped by constant experimentation, deep structural thinking, and an evolving relationship with gesture and color, encouraging readers to respect his innovative spirit and explore his full legacy.

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