WILLEM DE KOONING (1904 - 1997) | Woman with Glasses, 'circa' 1953

pastel and graphite on vellum; signed

BC Holland Gallery, Chicago
Allan Stone Gallery, New York
Benjamin Townsend, New York
James Goodman Gallery, New York
Allan Stone Gallery, New York
Lou Pollock, New York
Emerging Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1975

New York, Allan Stone Gallery, 'De Kooning/ Newman,' October - November 1962
New York, Allan Stone Gallery, 'Group Show,' October 1963
Darmstadt, 'Erste Internationale der Zeichnung,' September - November 1964
New York, Allan Stone Gallery, 'Willem de Kooning Retrospective: Drawings 1936-1963,' 1964, illustrated
New York, Allan Stone Gallery, 'Willem de Kooning Drawings: 1920s - 1970s,' October 2007 - January 2008, p. 41, illustrated in color

This work is in good condition overall. The sheet is window matted and hinged intermittently along the reverse of the upper edge to the backing board. There is a slight undulation to the sheet, visible upon close inspection. There are scattered handling marks and stray media to the sheet, possibly inherent to the artist's working method. There are two raised accretions, one to the center and one to the upper right corner of the sheet, possibly inherent to the artist's working method. Framed under Plexiglas.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

Executed at the beginning of de Kooning’s success, the current lot typifies the 'Woman' series that came to epitomize the artist’s practice. While the artist did not have his first solo show until he was 44,  he quickly gained notoriety within the art world. In 1953 he had a retrospective, the Museum of Modern Art acquired a work from the 'Woman' series and he was summering with the influential Castelli family in East Hampton.