About Elaine de Kooning
Elaine Marie Catherine de Kooning ( də KOO-ning, Dutch: [də ˈkoːnɪŋ]; née Fried; March 12, 1918 – February 1, 1989) was an American painter and art critic. A key contributor to the abstract expressionist and Figurative Expressionist movements, she wrote extensively on the art of the period and was an editorial associate for ARTnews magazine. She was married to Dutch-American artist Willem de Kooning from 1943 until her death in 1989, though they were separated for much of that time. == Early life and education == Elaine de Kooning was born Elaine Marie Catherine Fried on March 12, 1918, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City. Her parents were Mary Ellen O'Brien, an Irish Catholic, and Charles Frank Fried, a Protestant of Jewish descent. Her father Charles was a plant manager for the Bond Bread Company. Elaine was the eldest of four children; Marjorie (Luyckx), Conrad, and Peter were her siblings. Her mother, despite being recalled as less loving and attentive than some parents by Elaine's younger sister, supported Elaine's artistic endeavors. Elaine's mother started taking Elaine to museums at the age of five and taught her to draw what she saw. Elaine's childhood room was decorated with painting reproductions.
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