Bidspirit auction | Willem De Kooning ”Quatre Lithographies”

Willem De Kooning ”Quatre Lithographies” 1986 - Willem De Kooning (Dutch/American, 1904-1997). Complete set of four lithograph prints on Arches paper from the ”Quatre Lithographies” portfolio, 1986. Featuring abstract, fluid lines in primary blues, reds, and yellows. Each sheet is pencil signed and dated along the lower right; numbered ”XXXVIII/L” (38/50) along the lower left. Lot Essay: Born in the Netherlands on April 24, 1904, Willem de Kooning received rigorous academic training at the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam, mastering traditional drawing techniques while still in his teens. In 1926, determined to pursue a career as an illustrator, he stowed away on a freight ship bound for the United States. After arriving in New York City, de Kooning supported himself as a house painter, freelance commercial artist, and window display designer while immersing himself in the city's thriving artistic community. There, he forged close relationships with artists including Stuart Davis, Arshile Gorky, and John Graham, eventually emerging as one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism, also known as the New York School, alongside Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko. A towering figure of postwar American painting and a founding force of Abstract Expressionism, de Kooning distinguished himself through an extraordinary ability to continually reinvent his artistic language over a career spanning more than six decades. While many of his contemporaries remained closely associated with a singular style, de Kooning's work evolved dramatically from the energetic, heavily impastoed paintings of the 1950s to the lyrical, fluid abstractions of his final years. ”Quatre Lithographies” exemplifies this celebrated late period. Created in the 1980s, the portfolio reflects a remarkable shift toward openness and clarity, replacing the dense brushwork of earlier decades with sweeping, ribbon-like forms that glide across expansive white space. Deeply informed by Henri Matisse, the compositions employ a restrained yet vibrant palette of primary blues, reds, and yellows, balancing expressive movement with formal precision. The result is a body of work that captures the grace, optimism, and refined confidence of de Kooning's artistic vision. (Sheet, each) Height: 28 1/4 in x width: 24 3/4 in. Condition: The colors are bold and bright. Undulation to each of the sheets. There is framer's tape affixed along all four corners of the verso of each sheet. To one sheet, there is an extremely minute frit along the center of the upper edge of the sheet. To one of the sheets, there is a small area of light soiling and a very light crease along the upper right corner. To the same sheet, there is a small nick along the right edge of the sheet. To one sheet, there are several small nicks along the edge of one side of the work. To the same sheet, there are two light creases along the lower edge. The sheets are not framed.