Soutine / De Kooning: Conversations in Paint

This exhibition catalog examines the influence of Lithuanian artist Chaim Soutine on Willem de Kooning, highlighting their similarities in style and subject matter. It explores how Soutine's work impacted de Kooning's development, particularly after his posthumous retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1950. The catalog also discusses de Kooning's admiration for Soutine, stating that he considered him his favorite artist and that Soutine's paintings had a significant influence on his own work.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 05 February 2021
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing

“Ive always been crazy about Soutine – all of his paintings,” said the Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning (1904–1997) in 1977.

How much de Koonings approach was due to the influence of Lithuanian artist Chaim Soutine (1893–1943) is examined in this exhibition catalogue, in which the two artists are dramatically juxtaposed.

This book accompanies an exhibition organized by the Musée de lOrangerie, Paris, and The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, dedicated to the affinities between the work of Chaim Soutine and Willem de Kooning. It was Dr Alfred Barnes who had made Soutines career by buying the bulk of the unknown artists available work in Paris in 1923.

The exhibition and accompanying publication will show how the work of Soutine had a decisive influence on the development of de Koonings art, especially following Soutines posthumous retrospective held at The Museum of Modern Art in 1950.

The expressive force of Soutines painting, coupled with his image as an ‘accursed (maudit) artist struggling with the vicissitudes and excesses of bohemian life in Paris during the interwar years, exerted a particular influence on a new generation of post-war painters in the United States.

In 1977 de Kooning emphatically declared: “I think I would choose Soutine [as my favourite artist] ... Ive always been crazy about Soutine – all of his paintings”.

Of all the Abstract Expressionists, de Kooning was the only one who continued to praise Soutine throughout his career and to credit him with an influence on his work. De Kooning very likely first discovered Soutines work before the Second World War in the New York galleries. Indeed, his figure paintings of the 1940s with their distortion and sense of compression already shared characteristics with Soutines figures.

Soutine, a Russian-born artist who settled in France in 1912, was known for his dark and brooding paintings that depicted the struggles and hardships of everyday life in Paris. His work was often characterized by its use of bold colors and expressive brushstrokes, and he was particularly known for his portraits of artists and musicians.

De Kooning, on the other hand, was a leading figure of the Abstract Expressionist movement in the United States, and his work was characterized by its use of bold colors and expressive brushstrokes. He was particularly known for his large-scale abstract paintings that explored the human form and the emotional landscape.

Despite their differences in style and subject matter, de Kooning and Soutine shared a number of affinities. Both artists were known for their use of bold colors and expressive brushstrokes, and both were influenced by the art of the Old Masters.

In addition, both artists were known for their struggles with their personal lives and their struggles with the art world. Soutine, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his early 20s, struggled with his mental health throughout his career, and his work was often characterized by its dark and brooding tone. De Kooning, who was married three times and struggled with alcoholism and depression, also struggled with his personal life and his art.

Despite their struggles, de Kooning and Soutine were able to create some of the most important and influential works of art of the 20th century. Their work continues to inspire and influence artists today, and their legacy will continue to be felt for generations to come.

Weight: 1150g
Dimension: 254 x 286 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911300885