$74.99 with 40 percent savings
List Price: $125.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
FREE Returns
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
$$74.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$74.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Judith Zilczer
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning Hardcover – November 8, 2023

by Judith Zilczer (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$74.99","priceAmount":74.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"74","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"3UfkTRXSWLKmpLKIHHhnLMKVW47rPHDdiz1RXUcsrtpOD5sDkCFpi3HGvZ4yAr8OyqiTKytka6a80wI9tJPVMQJdlD%2FTIzhJ5p641uCdRZAIiwPdfNVvgqbaFFUwrgnHo3oRkvW0JnY2wNs557ECZg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The best-selling and critically acclaimed monograph on one of the most influential painters of the twentieth century

Willem de Kooning was a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism. MoMA's 2011 de Kooning retrospective drew record crowds, and his prodigious achievements continue to provoke and inspire subsequent generations of artists such as Cecily Brown, Rebecca Warren, and Jonathan Lasker.

This is the most wide-ranging and comprehensive monograph available on this artist. Sumptuously illustrated and produced, the book encompasses his major works and periods, including his controversial 'Woman' paintings, as well as a wealth of accompanying sketches and preparatory drawings.

An illustrated chronology maps de Kooning's life, career, and work, with photographs from the artist's archive interspersed throughout the book, enriching the reader's understanding of the wider art-historical context of his paintings. Judith Zilczer's critically acclaimed monograph is an essential addition to the libraries of a new audience of readers and de Kooning enthusiasts, offering an unprecedented and compelling examination of his body of work.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Phaidon Press
  4. Publication date
    November 8, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    12.35 x 1.25 x 13.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1838666559
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1838666552
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning
$74.99
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper
$40.30
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Rothko: The Color Field Paintings
$20.56
Get it as soon as Monday, May 13
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning
A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning
A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning
A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning
A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Books on artists tend to focus primarily either on their work or on their lives. Rarely does a publication come along that engages fully with both. Judith Zilczer's beautifully written book makes clear the way in which de Kooning's life cannot be separated from his work - his life and his art profoundly illuminate one another. If you truly want to appreciate the innovative accomplishments of de Kooning, this book is essential."―Kerry Brougher, Interim Director and Chief Curator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

"[Zilczer's] achievement in A Way of Living is to connect, aesthetically and biographically, every phase of his protean production, united by what she sees as a romantic imperative: de Kooning's mantra that 'painting ― any kind of painting, any style of painting ― to be painting at all, in fact ― is a way of living, a style of living'... Her empathetic, generous account, which wears its learning lightly but demonstrates incisive thought, becomes first port of call for an overview of this most alluring, influential, still controversial artist."―Financial Times UK

"The traditional monograph seems an endangered species these days; one that gets everything right is rare enough to qualify as an art publishing event. A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning is an evenhanded, authoritative, and critically informed account of the great painter's achievement."―Bookforum

"Judith Zilczer's thorough book highlights how de Kooning even helped define what modern art is: in 1951, he called for art as a way of life that reflected experience... The book, which reminds us of his breadth - from his early figurative work to later linear, more minimal compositions-also demonstrates that by the time he died, in 1997 at the age of 92, de Kooning had both captured the public imagination and left an important stamp on art history."―Newsweek

About the Author

Judith Zilczer, Curator Emerita of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, organized more than two dozen exhibitions in her twenty-nine years at the museum, where she served as Historian, Curator of Paintings, and Acting Chief Curator. Her exhibition publications include Willem de Kooning from the Hirshhorn Museum Collection (1993), Richard Lindner: Paintings and Watercolors, 1948–1977 (1996), and Visual Music: Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900 (2005). A 1975 graduate of the doctoral program of the University of Delaware, she has received numerous awards, including the 2006 George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award of the Art Libraries Society of North America. Dr Zilczer has written and lectured widely on modern and contemporary art and is recognized as the leading authority on the art of Willem de Kooning.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Phaidon Press (November 8, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1838666559
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1838666552
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.35 x 1.25 x 13.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Judith Zilczer

Judith Zilczer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Graham White
5.0 out of 5 stars this is the best to date
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
I have many books on de Koonings work, this is the best to date. The book is beautifully designed. The reproductions are very good. I have seen many of the works represented, and overall my impression is that the reproductions slightly downplay the saturation and value contrasts in the work, rather than bump it up, as is so often the case. There is early work that I have never seen before, and several late paintings that display a number of stages that the paintings went through, and demonstrate that the sometimes expressed opinion that the late paintings were somehow lesser than earlier work, perhaps because they look easier in their final form, is not well founded. This is a very good book, I am happy I have it.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
ArtGuy
5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
A gorgeous volume spanning the career of one of America's most prolific painters. Lavish reproductions and insightful text make for a volume that is sure to become a treasure among the publications on de Kooning's oeuvre. Captures a true way of living as an artist dedicated to his vision.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
RCalame
5.0 out of 5 stars The reproductions of the paintings is the best in a book I have seen
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
Outstanding book. The reproductions of the paintings are the best in any book on de Kooning I have seen. Well written and insightful, a welcome addition to the many books on de Kooning already available.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ritchieart
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great Book for de Kooning lovers ! Reproductions, info in text... a pleasure to look through and read.
Helpful
 Report
Forrest Trump
4.0 out of 5 stars best book on the artist
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Its probably the best in depth collection on the artist available -likely the most expensive as well. The book itself its dimension are oversize- it is huge - quality of the reproductions is noticeably better than average -I could see the shades of white is his paintings that I did not see in other reproductions. The text is fine, quite detailed -although I dont care for text and critical opinions it seems to be all there. The drawings are limited- this is maybe its only failing. It has his sculpture but its quite limited, I suspect he didnt produce alot. the size of his work was huge and so the scale of his work is not there, its obviously not reproducible. I believe he was the best artist of his generation and as time goes on he will be ranked up there if not with Matisse and Picasso at least with the second rank originals.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
JimiMac
5.0 out of 5 stars All-around fantastic source for the de Kooning legacy.
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Bought this gem as a publishers overstock, so it was an extra bargain. Beautifully laid out with top notch print and photographic reproduction. Ms Zilczer has authored a superb biography of de Kooning as well as detailed criticism of his complete oevre. This is a must-have book for your library.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Its has a beautiful external hard cover that keeps the actual book safe ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Its has a beautiful external hard cover that keeps the actual book safe and well preserved, i love the large pages displaying high quality artwork and paintings of the artist ,overall i loved it very much.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Alexandra
3.0 out of 5 stars Damaged front cover
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
Hello,

I received this book yesterday, and there appears to be an indentation on the cover. It's visible through the clear cover and on the main cover, a bit disappointing when its brand new!
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Vic
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, very nice print and interesting information.
Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
If you like the work of Willem de Kooning, you will love this book, at least I do and would highly recommend it.
Report
H.P. Kruithof
5.0 out of 5 stars Biography how I like them
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very well written life story directly related to his work which shows his development as an artist extremely well. Illustrations are beautiful because the size of the book is really big. Not a bedside read.
7 people found this helpful
 Report
Arthur Docherty
5.0 out of 5 stars A real great book on the art of deKooning
Reviewed in Canada on September 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
A real great book on the art of deKooning, as opposed to his life. More focus on the work than the man.
Report
Derek Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
Stunning book - wonderful illustrations - the book is large - a bit heavy to read in bed!!
Report
Thomas George Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tome.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
Brilliant. Well worth it.
Report