b. 1918 d. 1989
Site Affiliation: Elaine de Kooning House and Studio
Elaine de Kooning has been recognized among the “first generation” of female Abstract Expressionist painters. Abstract Expressionism, an art movement that developed in New York City in the decades after World War II, typically used nontraditional/nonrepresentational imagery to convey movement and emotion. Elaine’s work was featured in the Museum of Modern Art-organized Young American Painters (1956-1958).
Primary Medium: Painting, printmaking
Primary Stylistic Term: Abstract Expressionism, portraiture
Fun Fact: In late 1962 and early 1963, Elaine de Kooning completed a series of studies and finished portraits of President John F. Kennedy, which was the most important commission in her career.
HAHS Affiliations: de Kooning was friends with fellow East Hampton artists Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock, and Victor and Mabel D’Amico.