The Life of Willem de Kooning Rotterdam, 1904. The air in the Netherlands carries the weight of a family in transition. Willem de Kooning enters the world on April 24, born to Leendert de Kooning and Cornelia Nobel. His early years are defined by a familial split, a divorce that leaves a sense of restless searching in its wake. This internal displacement follows him across the Atlantic. In 1926, he arrives in America not as a traveler…
Scroll through Willem de Kooning's working life — artwork by artwork, chapter by chapter — from the earliest dated work to the last. Each thumbnail is pinned at its exact year on the gold axis.
The ribbon is divided into shaded bands, one per career chapter. Each chapter groups Willem de Kooning's works by their historical period — early training, mature practice, final years.
Every thumbnail is pinned at its precise creation year. A thin gold thread drops from the image to its exact point on the axis. Larger frames mark the artist's masterpieces by rank.
The gradient bar beneath the axis shifts colour as the dominant art movement changes over time — from the warm golds of the early period through the deeper tones of maturity. It fills progressively as you scroll.