Elaine de Kooning

Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989) was born in New York City. She attended the American Artists School and the Leonardo da Vinci School. She was a student of Willem de Kooning, whom she would later marry.
She is identified as an Abstract Expressionist painter and part of the New York School, although she worked with figures and portraiture for significant periods of her career. As the wife of artist Willem de Kooning, Elaine’s own career and profile took a backseat to that of her husband’s. Her efforts to promote his art helped establish him as the vanguard of the New York School and set his place as a significant and valued artist.
Elaine spent some of her career as an instructor, teaching at institutions such as Yale, Pratt, Carnegie-Mellon and the University of Georgia. Elaine also was a writer and art critic and contributed articles to publications such as Art News. However, Elaine’s own art has gradually been coming out of the shadow of her husband and she is seen as a significant artist in her own right.

(Source: Asheville Art Museum staff)