On 17 November 2026, Christie's New York will offer Willem de Kooning's Yellow River, 1958, in its 20th Century Evening Sale. The painting comes from the Whitney Museum of American Art and is being sold to benefit the museum's collection, a rare moment when a museum-held Abstract Expressionist canvas returns to the market.
Yellow River is a large oil on canvas, signed lower left, painted at the height of de Kooning's abstract landscape period. Its story runs through the heart of New York's postwar art world. It was first shown at Sidney Janis Gallery in 1959, then acquired that same year by the collector David M. Solinger. It was later exhibited at the Walker Art Center, at The Museum of Modern Art's 1969 de Kooning exhibition, and at the Whitney itself in Singular Visions (2011–2012). The Solinger family promised the painting to the Whitney in 2011, and the gift was completed in 2023.
The timing adds to the interest. This year marks one hundred years since de Kooning stowed away on a ship from the Netherlands to the United States, and the Rijksmuseum is celebrating the anniversary with Willem de Kooning at Work, on view through 17 January 2027.
For collectors, a de Kooning with museum provenance and this exhibition history is a rare opportunity. We will be watching the evening of 17 November with interest.
The Wall Art Gallery
Sources:
- Christie's lot page, Yellow River, 20th Century Evening Sale, New York, 17 November 2026: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6614740
- Christie's, "Eight artists having major museum moments this fall," 30 October 2026: https://www.christies.com/en/stories/artist-museum-moments-november-2026-ba00dc3a1af34a5b9410e3921a64f031