1904- . Dutch-born US painter who immigrated 
to the USA 1926 and worked as a commercial 
artist. After World War II he became, 
together with Jackson Pollock, one of the 
leaders of the Abstract Expressionist 
Movement. His Women series, exhibited in 
1953, was criticized for its grotesque 
figurative style. De Kooning joined the 
faculty of the Yale Art School and became a 
member of the National Institute of Arts 1960 
and received the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom 1964. His paintings were commissioned 
for numerous WPA (Work Projects 
Administration) projects, and he won praise
for his mural in the Hall of Pharmacy at the
1939 New York World's Fair.