WILLEM DE KOONING (1904–1997) was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and arrived in the United States in 1926 via Hoboken, New Jersey, where he worked as a housepainter. After arriving in the U.S., he quickly became part of the vibrant art scene in New York, forging friendships with artists and critics such as Arshile Gorky, Thomas Hess, Robert Motherwell, and Harold Rosenberg. In 1963 de Kooning took up full-time residence on the east end of Long Island, New York, a rural location that significantly impacted his painting from that point forward. His work can be found in museums and art collections world wide.