Between 1977 and 1981 Marisol created a series of portrait sculptures featuring various art world personalities. Her subjects were the people she admired most, from renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe and Marcel Duchamp to choreographer Martha Graham and writer William Burroughs. The collection, Artists and Artistes, was first exhibited at Sidney Janis Gallery, New York in 1981.

Willem de Kooning was among the important figures she included in this series. After meeting in the 1950s, de Kooning remained an influential figure in Marisol’s life. Her portrait expressively captures his likeness as well as her reverence for the great Abstract Expressionist. A serious and personal homage, she depicts de Kooning enthroned in his favorite chair with his hands, cast from his own, resting on its arms with an extra hand on his knee. His face, roughly carved in wood, conveys both his experience and familiarity.

The impressive portrait will be sold at auction in Chicago on February 27th. It will be on view in our New York gallery beginning February 22nd.