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
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
Subjects
  • 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

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, Soldiers Training, ca. 1942, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.582
Soldiers Training
Dateca. 1942
oil on plywood
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Christopher Sproat, Untitled (study for neon sculpture, Madison, Wisconsin Federal Courthouse), 1986, felt-tipped pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1987.5.1
Untitled (study for neon sculpture, Madison, Wisconsin…
Date1986
felt-tipped pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
Jack Savitsky, The Thief, 1976, pencil and felt-tipped pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bob Bishop, 1987.75
The Thief
Date1976
pencil and felt-tipped pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Al Blaustein, Family and Friends, ca. 1967, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.4
Family and Friends
Dateca. 1967
pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Man with Document, ca. 1945, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.418
Man with Document
Dateca. 1945
pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view