09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Why Willem de Kooning is still the king
Out of a fog of amorphous intentions and blowsy, drunken histrionics, Willem de Kooning carved out a rare and imperiled species of artistic brilliance. If it feels a little shocking that his work is resonating urgently with many of today's best artists, it's only because, for about 70 years after his crowning — by general consensus — as the best modern painter working in America, De Kooning (his name means 'the king' in Dutch) was on a downward trajectory. Or at least, the idea of his 'relevance' was.
