Willem de Kooning left for New York on a cargo ship about a century before the Rijksmuseum brings his work back to the Netherlands. “Willem de Kooning at work” opens in Amsterdam on 9 October, bringing more than 120 works together with works by Dutch masters, including Van Gogh and Rembrandt.
The exhibition runs until 17 January 2027. According to the announcement, it will be the biggest European exhibition of de Kooning’s work in more than 40 years. His life included a crossing from the Netherlands to New York, and his work later became associated with a group of New York artists.
A return across the Atlantic
De Kooning’s departure for New York anchors the exhibition’s story. He travelled on a cargo ship, and the Rijksmuseum brings his work back to the Netherlands about 100 years later. The account doesn't give a more specific date for the voyage.
The show is called “Willem de Kooning at work.” It places his work alongside that of Dutch masters such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt. More than 120 works will feature. The exhibition opens on 9 October and closes on 17 January 2027.
The article describes de Kooning’s movement between countries as a journey from the Netherlands to New York. In Amsterdam, the exhibition marks his return through the works on display. The announcement doesn't describe a contemporary migration policy, border enforcement, or asylum issue; the migration story here is the artist’s own departure and return.
New York and Abstract Expressionism
De Kooning joined a group of New York artists who pioneered Abstract Expressionism in the 1930s and 1940s. He later became an iconic figure in modern art. Now the Rijksmuseum pairs his work with Dutch masters, placing the exhibition in a European setting.
The account puts the movement in the 1930s and 1940s and identifies de Kooning as one of its New York pioneers. It doesn't name the other artists in the group. Nor does it say how the more than 120 works are divided among the exhibition’s subjects or artists.
The exhibition dates
“Willem de Kooning at work” opens on 9 October at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and runs until 17 January 2027. Organizers describe it as the largest European exhibition of his work in more than 40 years. Those dates and that scale frame the return of an artist who left for New York on a cargo ship about a century earlier.
The exhibition brings de Kooning’s work together with works by Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Its announcement traces his journey from the Netherlands to New York, his place among New York’s Abstract Expressionist pioneers, and his later status as an iconic modern artist. It gives no further details about the works on display or the circumstances of his departure.