Willem de Kooning: A Life in Fragments Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on April 24, 1904, Willem de Kooning’s life was a complex tapestry woven from ambition, self-doubt, and an unrelenting pursuit of artistic expression. His early years were marked by a quiet intensity, a sensitivity nurtured within a working-class family—a stark contrast to the explosive, often turbulent nature of his later work. Driven by a profound need to communi…