Willem de Kooning: Endless Painting
Wed, May 28
|Gagosian Chelsea
Willem de Kooning: Endless Painting opens April 15 – June 14, 2025, at Gagosian’s newly renovated Chelsea gallery, featuring works from 1944–1986, curated by Cecilia Alemani.
Time & Location
May 28, 2025, 7:00 AM – Jun 01, 2025, 11:00 PM
Gagosian Chelsea, 555 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011, USA
About the event
Marking the inaugural exhibition at Gagosian’s revitalized 555 West 24th Street space, Willem de Kooning: Endless Painting presents a powerful exploration of the artist’s visionary evolution. Curated by Cecilia Alemani—director of High Line Art—and supported by The Willem de Kooning Foundation, this sweeping show includes paintings from 1944 to 1986 and two rarely shown sculptures: Clamdigger (1972) and Standing Figure (1969–84).
Through a non-chronological approach, Alemani reveals how de Kooning’s recurring forms—elbows, mouths, limbs—echo throughout decades of experimentation between figuration and abstraction. Works like Montauk II (1969), Untitled XIX (1984), and Untitled XIV (1986) are placed in dynamic conversation, displaying his restless reinvention and painterly freedom.
Exhibition highlights:
Over four decades of seminal works exploring gesture, form, and color
Sculptures shown indoors for the first time in nearly 30 years
Insightful curation that uncovers de Kooning’s endlessly evolving visual language