Untitled

Willem de Kooning, Untitled, 1950, enamel on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.2
Copied Willem de Kooning, Untitled, 1950, enamel on paper mounted on paperboard, sheet: 2230 in. (55.976.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.2

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Date
1950
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 2230 in. (55.976.3 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Mediums
Mediums Description
enamel on paper mounted on paperboard
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract
Object Number
1980.5.2

Artwork Description

This black-and-white drawing reveals de Kooning’s mastery of the spontaneous gesture. In the service of pure abstraction, his lines move across the surface with a fluency and energy that distinguish his most accomplished work. Integrating angular and curvilinear forms, this composition captures the tension an artist experiences at the moment of creative expression.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009