Elaine de Kooning

This book explores the portraiture of Elaine de Kooning, an enormously talented artist whose widely admired body of work—both abstract and figurative—is overdue for a contemporary reassessment. 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 Abstract Expressionism, women artists, and feminism during a transformative period, and will also appeal to lovers of painting of all kinds."Featuring dozens of her postmodern portraits, drawings, and archival photos, this book explores [de Kooning's] artistic process, while also examining her place within the art world and her influence on other women artists."


—Interview Magazine
"Though her portrayal of John F. Kennedy is perhaps her most famous work, de Kooning depicted many subjects . . . Those portraits— – both abstract and figurative— – are collected in this book, which has a wealth of full-color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and archival photos. With reflections on de Kooning’s process and her place in Postmodernism, Elaine de Kooning: Portraits is an important addition to literature not just on the artist, but also on Abstract Expressionism and female artistry"


—The Boston Globe
"The insightful new book . . . demonstrates how enormously talented Elaine de Kooning was in her own right . . . The current recognition her work is receiving is well deserved, and sets her within the important context of major women artists."


—Art of the Times