Willem de Kooning at Work at the Rijksmuseum
- Time
- All day
- Where
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
- Province
- Noord-Holland
- Scope
- National
- Type
- Expo
The Rijksmuseum stages Willem de Kooning at Work from Friday 9 October 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027. The exhibition brings together more than 120 works by the Rotterdam-born painter who became a central figure of American abstract expressionism, built around a comprehensive overview of his drawings and complemented by his most celebrated paintings and sculptures. Two of his best-known paintings, Woman I and Woman and Bicycle, hang in the museum’s Gallery of Honour.
Why it matters
De Kooning was born in Rotterdam and made his career in the United States, which gives this show a homecoming quality: his most famous work returns to the country he left. The exhibition is developed with the Art Institute of Chicago and The Willem de Kooning Foundation in New York. The Chicago museum’s own De Kooning drawings exhibition closes on 20 September 2026, after which works travel to Amsterdam for this presentation.
Programme highlights
- More than 120 works, with De Kooning’s drawing practice at the core and major paintings and sculptures alongside
- Woman I and Woman and Bicycle in the Gallery of Honour
- In the same period the Rijksmuseum shows Document Netherlands: New Energy, photographer Kadir van Lohuizen on the energy transition, also from 9 October 2026 to 17 January 2027
Practical information
The Rijksmuseum had not yet published ticketing details for this exhibition at the time of writing. Check the exhibition page on rijksmuseum.nl closer to the opening for admission arrangements.
Common questions
When does the exhibition run?
From Friday 9 October 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Who was Willem de Kooning?
A painter born in Rotterdam who emigrated to the United States and became one of the leading figures of abstract expressionism. This exhibition centres on how he worked, with his drawings as the through line.
Which famous works are on show?
Woman I and Woman and Bicycle hang in the Gallery of Honour, within a selection of more than 120 works.
Who organised the exhibition?
The Rijksmuseum, together with the Art Institute of Chicago and The Willem de Kooning Foundation in New York.
Do I need a separate exhibition ticket?
The museum had not published ticketing details for the exhibition at the time of writing. Check rijksmuseum.nl closer to the opening.