--- title: "Elaine de Kooning: Artworks Showcase Her Distinct Style" url: https://newscentral.site/elaine-de-kooning-artworks-showcase-her-distinct-style/ language: en publisher: "News Central Site" section: "Style" published: 2026-11-05T21:31:16.000Z updated: 2026-11-06T00:25:31.020Z id: 29f7f763-629d-4ac0-92f5-040817ff29a9 source: "Harper's Bazaar https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a74338548/elaine-de-kooning-new-york-overdue-exhibition-berry-campbell/" attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/elaine-de-kooning-artworks-showcase-her-distinct-style/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Elaine de Kooning: Artworks Showcase Her Distinct Style A selection of Elaine de Kooning's portraits are currently on display at New York's Berry Campbell gallery, highlighting her ability to capture subjects with expressive flair. Elaine de Kooning was a pioneering figure in the art world, but her contributions often took a backseat to those of her husband, Willem de Kooning, during their lifetime. The Abstract Expressionist movement, which emerged in the mid-20th century, saw many talented women artists relegated to secondary status behind their male counterparts. This phenomenon was particularly evident among the group known as the "Ninth Street Women," including Lee Krasner, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler. De Kooning's own career spanned five decades, during which she effortlessly navigated two distinct artistic styles: portraiture and abstract expressionism. A selection of Elaine de Kooning's portraits are currently on display at New York's Berry Campbell gallery, each featuring bold brushwork and vibrant colors that bring their subjects to life. Among these works is a young boy in a cowboy hat, depicted in the painting Jemp #1 (1963), which showcases De Kooning's ability to capture her subjects with expressive flair. The gallery owners, Martha Campbell and Christine Berry, had been searching for a way to showcase De Kooning's work as a whole, rather than focusing on specific periods or styles. By doing so, they aimed to highlight the artist's unique visual sensibility that emerged from blending portraiture and abstract expressionism. The show, simply titled "Elaine De Kooning" and running through December 19, features around 30 works sourced directly from the family's collection, offering a comprehensive look at the artist's oeuvre. The abstract works on display showcase Elaine de Kooning's ability to experiment with form and color, often blurring the lines between representation and pure abstraction. In paintings like Untitled (1960), De Kooning obscures her subjects, creating a sense of ambiguity that challenges viewers' expectations. This approach is evident in her depiction of New York City's verticality, where skyscrapers and buildings are reduced to abstracted forms. The 11-foot-wide canvas of California (1961) stands out as a prime example of De Kooning's compositional mastery. The vibrant colors used in this piece create a dynamic energy that draws the viewer's eye across the canvas. De Kooning's portraiture often blended elements of abstraction with representational techniques, resulting in energetic and expressive works like Tom Hess (1963). In this painting, the subject is nearly overwhelmed by bursts of bright paint, leaving much of the canvas untouched. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 had a profound impact on Elaine de Kooning's work. Her fixation on the president intensified after the tragic event, with Berry noting that she was painting him for an entire year without stopping. De Kooning's portraiture spanned several decades, from the 1940s to her later years. In addition to portraits of notable figures like JFK, she also painted self-portraits and depictions of her neighbors and colleagues. This diverse range of subjects highlights her versatility as a painter. Her use of color was a defining characteristic of De Kooning's style. While some artists might have been drawn to the vibrancy of bright hues, De Kooning often avoided looking at color when creating her images. Instead, she relied on her personal sensibility and experience to guide her color choices. One notable example of this approach is seen in Bacchus #20-G (1983), a painting inspired by Jules Dalou's The Triumph of Silenus. This work showcases De Kooning's unique ability to imbue images with a sense of texture and depth through her use of color, even when working from black-and-white references. The vibrant painting showcases De Kooning's ability to capture the twisted bodies of the sculpture in a rich, opulent violet hue, set against a backdrop of lush green foliage. This work exemplifies her unique blend of portraiture and Abstract Expressionism, a hallmark of her distinct visual style that has finally been recognized for its value alongside her husband's contributions. --- Source: [Harper's Bazaar](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a74338548/elaine-de-kooning-new-york-overdue-exhibition-berry-campbell/) Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/elaine-de-kooning-artworks-showcase-her-distinct-style/