Willem de Kooning Ripped Up the Rules of Drawing
The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting a retrospective of Willem de Kooning's drawings that offers an intimate look at his creative process. The exhibition highlights his evolution as an artist and his ability to break traditional rules of drawing.
Why it matters
It provides a rare, deep-dive perspective into the studio practices of one of the most influential figures in 20th-century American art.
He was the best draftsman of his generation of postwar American artists. He had to unlearn everything he knew.
Willem de Kooning, Untitled (Man and Woman) , about 1947–48 ( The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by TAJAN. ) September 16, 2026, 7:30 AM ET Share Save Most retrospectives unfold like a stately procession. You buy your ticket and proceed through a choreographed sequence of galleries, scrutinizing first the juvenilia, then the promising early work. Next come the triumphal years, and finally (if the artist was lucky) a poignant late phase. An idea of timelessness prevails, enhanced by an enveloping atmosphere of climate control, security, and massive insurance coverage. The lighting is good; the frames are tasteful. Everything looks marvelous.
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