Elaine De Kooning: Sexism in Abstract Expressionist Art

Elaine Fried de Kooning was a gifted writer and painter, as well as being married to Willem de Kooning. In the review by Martica Sawin of the biography Elaine de Kooning: The Spirit of Abstract Expressionism, Selected Writings the author evaluates the reasons why Elaine de Kooning and her art are not acknowledged as equal to that of male contemporaries. In order to examine how this article contributes to art history, the reader first examines the arguments within the article. The reader can then evaluate the areas of focus that Sawin suggest in order to drawn out critical implications.

Sawin focuses on three major arguments within her article: how did inaccuracies of her biography affect her art, how did her reputation as a writer affect her notoriety as an artist, and how did the support of her husband affect her status in art history. While Elaine wrote more than 100 essays, only 28 are included in the biography, and with these essays are photos of Elaine herself and not the work she is discussing. This, along with a preface by her sister and essay by her friend tend to belittle her contributions to art history as an author and as a painter. Furthermore, she was well known as a continual contributor to Art News.

She examined many artists' contributions to Abstract Expressionism, and often presented a unique and enlightening view on those she studied, most of whom she knew personally. Also, Elaine spent many years promoting her husband's work at the expense of her own. To this end, she worked to be involved in the New York art scene in as many aspects as possible. The author states that she "[ventured to invite museum curators to climb four flights [of stairs] for martinis... and to see her husband's work."

During the course of the article, the author asks two rhetorical questions of the reader in order to further evaluate the reasons behind the inequality. "Can a woman live a rounded life and still be taken seriously as an artist?" and "Is it a sad story, the woman in the shadow of greatness, never giving her own work precedence?" First, during this time period and extending into the present, the ideal woman balances career and home life. This balance creates a situation in which a woman is known for several things, overshadowing any singular role. This very expectation creates an inequality.

The ideal man must excel in one area, while the woman is divided into two or more. At times, the product of the male's toil is seen as more important because of the apparently all encompassing struggle involved, while women are marginalized because there are other aspects to life. In the realm of art history, the article states that "struggle ... was part of the credo of the time... that no artwork worthy of the designation could be made without struggle." The story of Elaine de Kooning can be viewed in the light of the "woman in the shadow" however, once a retrospective is exhibited, the author asserts that she will be viewed as more important in the realms of art history, the Abstract Expressionists, and the New York School.

The article is successful in opening the reader's eyes to misrepresentation in the field of art history. The written word recording the events and people after the fact may be biased or inaccurate either by will or by lack of information. The review of the biography as well as other arguments presented does successfully explain why Elaine de Kooning is considered anecdotal in art history and in the Abstract Expressionist movement.