A fascinating examination of a formative time in the iconic artist’s careerIn 1948, Willem de Kooning held his first solo exhibition, at age forty-four, at the Charles Egan Gallery in New York City. Willem de Kooning: The Breakthrough Years explores how the painter developed his distinctive style in the period leading up to the show, blending figuration with abstraction and experimenting with materials such as enamel paint, cardboard, and Masonite....