Opening and lecture Willem de Kooning: Rotterdam – New York

Willem de Kooning: Rotterdam – New York

Saturday 18 July 2026, 12:00 – 17:00
Fenix, Paul Nijghkade 5, 3072 AT Rotterdam
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On Saturday, July 18, Willem de Kooning: Rotterdam – New York opens at Fenix. One hundred years after Willem de Kooning left Rotterdam for New York, three of his sculptures stand on the quay outside Fenix. To mark their installation, Fenix presents a programme of events including a lecture by author Wim Pijbes, Slow Looking sessions in the museum and live music on the quay.

About the publication

This illustrated publication brings to life the vibrant Rotterdam in which De Kooning grew up and developed as an artist, both at the academy and at the design firm Giddings & Zonen. At the same time, it sketches New York in the 1920s, where, like many others, he arrived as a migrant and began a new life.

There, Willem de Kooning grew into one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. The publication includes contributions by Anne Kremers, Wim Pijbes and Ludo van Halem.