Willem de Kooning mixed media on paper signed painting, 15 1/2 x 11 1/4 in. Signed on bottom right. Excellent condition. Framed. Private collection. COA. Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-born American painter who was one of the leading proponents of abstract expressionism. Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 1904, Willem de Kooning stowed away to the U.S. in 1926 and settled in New York City. While working in the commercial realm, de Kooning also was developing his artistic style, exploring both figure painting and more abstract subjects through the 1930s. By the 1940s, those two main tendencies seemed to fuse perfectly, notably in Pink Angels. De Kooning became known for his depiction of women, and women would dominate his paintings for decades. Later in life, de Kooning explored landscapes and even sculpture, before Alzheimer's disease made it impossible to continue. He died in 1997 at age 92.