Willem de Kooning: A Portrait

by Bert Schierbeek

In 1967 the Dutch author Bert Schierbeek flew to New York to portray painter Willem de Kooning. They talked for a few days and nights, after which Schierbeek wrote an extensive account in English. Fragments were published in the catalog of the first retrospective of De Kooning in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1968. The full text was never published, due to all sorts of complications and disagreements. The typescript disappeared in a desk drawer and was consequently even untraceable for decades. Recently however, the lost folder suddenly emerged. Although Schierbeek’s portrayal has lost its immediate actuality, it remains a personal document that deserves publication after all.

56 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Tessa]

The book uses this phrase "jongens onder mekaar" (boys amongst each other) and I think that perfectly captures the atmosphere. It also came across as very pretentious. The only thing that made me finish this book was that it only had 55 short pages.