From the dust jacket: This volume reproduces in exact size twenty-four charcoal drawings, which were executed by de Kooning in 1966. This is a unique and invaluable record of the extraordinary draftsmanship of one of America's leading artists. These facsimiles of his figure drawings were produced with unusual care and fidelity to the originals.

Discusses the art of Willem de Kooning from the student in the Netherlands to the struggling artist in America.

Traces the life of the Dutch-born artist, shows paintings from each part of his career, and discusses the evolution of his style.

Features ten pieces by abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning selected from the Museum of Modern Art's collection, discussing the cultural context and significance of each work.

"A complete illustrated documentation of the career of one of today's most influential artists; included also is a bibliography and chronology of de Kooning's work."

"John F. Kennedy, Frank O'Hara, Allen Ginsberg, Merce Cunningham, and Fairfield Porter were just some of the figures who sat for portraits by Elaine de Kooning. Famous for her marriage to the Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning, Elaine was herself a groundbreaking artist and writer who challenged many conventions during her career. Although she portrayed women, she was most engaged with portraits of men, sometimes painting multiple portraits of her subjects in order to explore and capture their most compelling likeness. She focused intently on her subjects--as she wrote in 1965, "Like falling in love painting a portrait is a concentration on one particular person and no one else will do." This insightful book explores de Kooning's portraits as well as her artistic process and her position in the rise of Postmodernism. Illustrated throughout with full-color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and archival photos, this book is an important contribution to the literature on Abstrac