Xavier Fourcade Gallery, New York
Cohen Gallery, New York
Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago (acquired from the above in September 1996)
Private Collection, Chicago
Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago
Acquired by the present owner from the above in February 2005

Amsterdam, Collection d'Arte Galerie, Willem de Kooning, October - December 1977
Chicago, Richard Gray Gallery, De Kooning: Late Paintings and Drawings, February - March 1980
Düsseldorf, Hans Strelow Gallery, Willem de Kooning, November 1980
Milan, Studio Marconi, De Kooning: Paintings, Drawings and Sclupture, March - April 1985, p. 35, illustrated in color

This work is in excellent condition overall. There are thumbtack impressions and holes at the corners and along the top edge from the time of execution. There is evidence of a tear at execution extending diagonally 2 in. from the left edge in the green paint. There are no apparent insecurities to the pigment in this area. Examined under ultraviolet light, there are no apparent restorations. This painting is framed in a wood frame with wide gilt facing.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Willem de Kooning's Figures in Landscape No.1 dates from 1976, a year after the artist returned to painting after an absence that lasted from 1969 to 1975. The painting's lush brushstrokes evoke his previous handling of clay and his total engagement with the material that created the expressive characters of the sculptures that preoccupied him from 1969 to 1974. Similar to his three dimensional work, the fluid layers of paint in Figures in Landscape No.1 create a rhythm and depth that draws the viewer into the composition through the artist's dynamic, free-flowing application of color.

This weightlessness is a clear reference to de Kooning's environment at the time. In 1963 the artist left New York City and permanently moved out to Long Island where he immersed himself in the light-filled atmosphere and scenic coastal landscape that so closely evoked memories of his native Holland. Much like the Impressionist painters, deౠ Kooning sought to capture the intangible elements of nature in his painting. The vibrant color palette brings forth the essence of the sea, sand, sun and surf.

Figures in Landscape No.1, is a merging of the intangible and the corporeal in nature, as figurative elements dissolve into and evolve from the surface, intertwining the foreground and background. With his animated colors, the artist awakens the senses and the onlooker relates to the figures that are "[...] washed by the waters, caressed by the wind, lashed by rain, [and] bathed in vibrating sunlight." (Jörn Merkert in Exh. Cat., New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Willem de Kooning: Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture, 1983, p.128.)