The first study of de Kooning's works on paper and clay sculpture from his formative sojourns in Italy The Dutch-American giant of abstraction Willem de Kooning (1904-97) enjoyed two long sojourns in Italy: in the fall of 1959 and in the summer of 1969. These trips profoundly impacted his work--the first generated a significant body of black-and-white works on paper, while the second inspired the artist to experiment with clay--yet they have yet to receive their due scholarly attention. Willem de Kooning and Italy is the first monograph to explore these two chapters in de Kooning's life and career, as reflected in the development of his work from the end of the '50s to his last works of the '80s. In addition to essays by the two curators and editors, this lavishly illustrated volume includes contributions from the art historians Jeremy Bleeke, Ester Coen, Anna Coliva and Patrick Elliott. A bibliography and a list of exhibitions further enrich the monograph.