Willem de Kooning’s "Man in Wainscott" (1969) finds a fitting home at Fenix Museum of Migration, Rotterdam—now permanently displayed just steps from the quay where the artist himself once embarked for a new life.
This remarkable artwork, acquired earlier this year at Christie's in New York, represents a significant return for De Kooning to his hometown nearly a century after he left from Rotterdam’s docks in search of a new life in America.
Born into poverty in Rotterdam-North, Willem de Kooning departed as a stowaway on July 18, 1926, without farewells, heading toward New York. Initially struggling in his adopted city, he eventually rose to prominence as one of America’s most celebrated artists, acclaimed as a pivotal figure in Abstract Expressionism.
Man in Wainscott, painted during one of De Kooning’s most productive periods in East Hampton, Long Island, vividly exemplifies his exploration of human figures blending into abstracted landscapes. Characteristic of De Kooning’s method, the painting incorporates dynamic brushstrokes, vibrant color, and collage elements. The figure emerges subtly from a complex interaction of color and texture, distinguished by a central dash of red, dense brushwork, and layered impressions of paint peeled away with paper and newsprint. This innovative approach, meticulously documented by art historian Thomas B. Hess, demonstrates De Kooning’s experimental technique—continually recombining elements from his process to achieve a sense of integrated figural and landscape forms.
The painting is displayed in a custom-designed freestanding showcase created by Goppion. Unlike traditional exhibition methods where contemporary paintings are typically hung on walls or placed within climate-controlled frames, Goppion’s solution integrates advanced security and conservation technology into a freestanding structure. The showcase features anti-reflective glass, creating minimal visual interference while ensuring the artwork's safety and long-term preservation.
Installed upon a specially designed, integrated plinth and back "wall" that mirror the industrial aesthetics of the museum’s interior—a former warehouse that once facilitated mass migrations across the Atlantic—this innovative presentation connects deeply with De Kooning’s own migration story. It symbolizes his journey from Rotterdam to the United States and back, forming a powerful narrative bridge between the artist’s past and the museum’s historical context.
Anne Kremers, director of Fenix, encapsulates the significance of this installation: “De Kooning’s migration story is as colorful as his work. He began his life in poverty in Rotterdam-North, boarded a ship nearly a hundred years ago as a stowaway without a valid ticket, and ended up as a celebrated artist in New York. It’s deeply symbolic that this painting from his golden years will now be permanently displayed in a former harbor warehouse in the city he once left behind.”
Goppion proudly supports this visionary curatorial choice, ensuring that Man in Wainscott will be securely preserved and appreciated by future generations.
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