The Easel

7th July 2026

Willem de Kooning: The Breakthrough Years, 1945–50

John Elderfield | Princeton University Art Museum | 5th March 2026

De Kooning was classically trained but living in New York alongside abstractionists like Pollock, his “personal vocabulary” changed. Some works that started as figurative ended up abstract; others went the other way. Leading up to his first solo show in 1948, a mature style was emerging – abstract shapes, made with his characteristic bold and heavy brushstrokes yet carefully assembled. A few years later the ever restless de Kooning started his semi-figurative “Women” series.  Pollock shouted “betrayal”.

30th June 2026

America 250: The Essential Paintings of Our Nation

Judith Dobrzynski | Judithdobrynski.com | 26th June 2026

Next week, on July 4, the US celebrates its 250th anniversary. As one might expect of a diverse nation, there is a pluriverse of celebrations. Multiple shows (some listed here) focus on the anniversary itself. Washington’s National Gallery has a show on what it means to be American. The linked piece highlights 25 “essential paintings” that touch on the spirit of 1776, westward expansion, industrial might, socioeconomic strife and automobile love. It’s an optimistic list for a celebratory moment.

The World’s First AI Art Museum Has a Strange Way of Honoring the Rainforest

Louis Bury | Art in America | 23rd June 2026

Anadol, a prominent AI artist, has opened the “world’s first AI museum”. Visitors register their biometric data so the show is personalised to them, even down to customised scents. Yet the digital pyrotechnics leave the reviewer unimpressed. The show’s “inaugural exhibition wants to have things both ways—a full-speed-ahead future that also mourns what’s being left behind. Its awkward compromises beget tepid innovations upon stale cultural products”.

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