The Rotterdam roots of the American Abstract Expressionist
A portrait of Willem de Kooning's formative years at the Rotterdam academy and of the city he left behind
Exhibition, Rijksmuseum, ‘Willem de Kooning at Work’, October 2026 - January 2027
A hundred years ago, 22-year-old Willem de Kooning left the quays of his hometown, Rotterdam. Hidden away on board of the cargo ship SS Shelley, De Kooning travelled to New York. He left a city in its heyday: in the Roaring Twenties, Rotterdam was transforming into a vibrant, world-class cultural port city.
This illustrated publication showcases this vibrant Rotterdam, the city where De Kooning grew up and was shaped by his time at the academy and at the design firm Giddings & Zonen. At the same time, the book sketches a vivid picture of 1920s New York, where he, like many others, arrived as a migrant and began a new life. It was here that Willem de Kooning emerged as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the twentieth century. With contributions by Anne Kremers, Wim Pijbes and Ludo van Halem.
This is a publication in collaboration with Fenix, the art museum on migration in Rotterdam. From 18 July 2026, the day De Kooning left exactly a hundred years ago, three of his sculptures will be on temporary display on the quay in front of the museum.
