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(DE KOONING,WILLEM) (1904-1997)
Mini-archive of wonderful pre-war snapshots depicting de Kooning, Juliet Browner (later Juliet
Man Ray), and Robert Jonas in the bohemian art community known as The Hamptons, on Long
Island, NewYork.With 28 vintage prints of a young de Kooning and his colorful friends that include
double exposures, extreme close-ups, arty compositions, humorous tableaux, gouache highlights,
and a bit of cross-dressing; plus 6 prints from the 1960s either by or depicting Jonas. Silver prints,
2
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4
inches square to 2
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x3
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to 4
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x3
3
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4
inches (5.7x5.7 to 5.7x8.9 to 11.4x8.3 cm.), with 30 small-
format negatives. 1930s-60s
[2,500/3,500]
A fun and intimate collection of marvelous vernacular
photographs in which the “players” are, today, well-
known artistic figures. De Kooning is depicted in many
of the photographs, but two, in particular, are
noteworthy since they are highlighted with an artful
gouache overlay that recalls the Abstract Expressionist’s
iconic gestural paintings.
From the estate of Robert C. Jonas (1902-1989), an
illustrator who met the young and yet unknown
emigre Willem de Kooning in the 1930s, when he
was artistic director at Penguin Books. After de
Kooning left the publisher in 1937, Jonas took the
job and, in the 1940s, secured freelance commissions
for numerous American authors.The Jonases and de
Koonings remained friendly for decades.