Rijksmuseum's Willem de Kooning Exhibition Features Over 120 Works, Opens Oct 9
On July 8, 2026, the Rijksmuseum announced "Willem de Kooning at Work," a major exhibition centered on the artist's drawn works, running from October 9, 2026, through January 17, 2027. The show brings together more than 120 pieces, including rarely seen drawings from private collections alongside iconic paintings and sculptures such as "Excavation" (1950) and "Clam Diggers" (1963). Two of de Kooning's most celebrated paintings, "Woman I" and "Woman and Bicycle," will be displayed concurrently in the museum's Gallery of Honour, placing the artist among the Dutch masters. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago and the Willem de Kooning Foundation in New York.
The Signal
The exhibition offers an unprecedented focus on de Kooning's drawing practice, revealing it as the foundation of his artistic process rather than mere preparation. The inclusion of works from multiple private collections provides rare access to key transitional pieces, reinforcing de Kooning's status as a central figure of Abstract Expressionism. The concurrent display in the Gallery of Honour signals the Rijksmuseum's effort to integrate 20th-century American modernism into the narrative of Dutch art history, a move that may influence how collectors and institutions value de Kooning's works on paper.
- Artists: Willem de Kooning
- Museums: Rijksmuseum, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Ludwig, Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Whitney Museum of American Art, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Fenix, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
- Locations: Amsterdam, Rotterdam
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