Volkswacht Bodensee - Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum hosts 'homecoming' show for Willem de Kooning

Now, a century later, De Kooning joins Dutch masters such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum for the biggest European exhibition of his work in more than 40 years.

De Kooning was part of a group of New York artists that pioneered a style known as "Abstract Expressionism" in the 1930s and 1940s, said the exhibition's curator Marian Cousijn.

His works, at first glance abstract, almost always feature figurative elements, often linked to the human body, using charcoal or paint with elements of collage or rubbing.

"It was called Abstract Expressionism, but for De Kooning, it was never really 100-percent abstract," Cousijn told AFP.

"He would always return to the human figure."

In his work "Woman" (1950), which forms part of the exhibition, one can make out the eyes, arms and breasts of a woman, while the mouth -- taken from a cigarette advert -- has been cut out and stuck on.

In "Excavations" (1950), forms of birds, fish, human noses, eyes and teeth mingle together with a broader abstract picture.

While a direct link between De Kooning and Dutch masters is not evident at first sight, curator Cousijn said the modern artist deserves his place.

"De Kooning was someone who really looked at art history. He often referred to Rembrandt, for example. He was always drawing, just like Rembrandt, and the light was really important for him," said the 29-year-old.

Museum director Taco Dibbits agreed, saying it was "logical in the Rijksmuseum, the Museum of Rembrandt, that you have an artist who's obsessed with light as well, and his drawing."

"For the Dutch, this is both a discovery and a homecoming," Dibbits told AFP.

After several years living in New York, the Dutch painter became a US citizen in 1962. He died in 1997 in East Hampton, New York, at the age of 92.

Featuring more than 120 works, the exhibition "Willem de Kooning at work" opens on October 9 and runs until January 17, 2027.

H.Kuenzler--VB