Willem de Kooning lived as an undocumented immigrant for 36 years
The Dutch American painter, often hailed as the last Old Master, stowed away on a freight ship to reach the United States in 1926.
Before becoming a titan of abstract expressionism, Willem de Kooning arrived in the United States as a 22-year-old stowaway. In 1926, he jumped onto a freight ship in Europe and crossed the Atlantic without a visa or legal standing. Despite his rising fame and the praise of influential critics like Clement Greenberg, de Kooning lived and worked as an undocumented immigrant for 36 years.
Continue Reading in App
2 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz