Whitney Museum sells de Kooning's 'Yellow River' at Christie's

The Whitney Museum of American Art will auction Willem de Kooning's 1958 painting 'Yellow River' at Christie's New York on November 17, 2026. Proceeds from the sale, estimated between $12 million and $18 million, are intended to enrich the museum's collection. The museum formally acquired the work in 2023 as a gift from the family of its former president, David M. Solinger.

Solinger's legacy and the painting's provenance

David Solinger was a lawyer and influential trustee who served as the Whitney's first president not from the founding family. He purchased 'Yellow River' directly from the Sidney Janis Gallery on October 10, 1959. Solinger had first discovered de Kooning's work in 1948 and was, by his own account, struck by lightning. The painting hung at the foot of his bed, the first work he saw each morning.

After Solinger's death in 1996, the painting passed to his wife, Betty Ann Besch Solinger. She promised the work to the Whitney in 2011, with formal ownership transferring in 2023, a year after her own death. The painting was a centerpiece of Solinger's collection, which also included major works by Franz Kline, Jean Dubuffet, and Pablo Picasso.

Historical significance of 'Yellow River'

'Yellow River' represents a key shift in de Kooning's career. Created between 1957 and 1959, it marks his move away from the figurative 'Woman' series toward landscape abstraction. The painting was first exhibited in May 1959 at the Sidney Janis Gallery, in a show of twenty-two new works. It was later included in the artist's 1969 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

De Kooning named several paintings from this period after roads, including 'Montauk Highway' and 'Merritt Parkway'. Art historian Richard Shiff noted the experience of the Merritt Parkway is evident throughout the 1958-1959 series. The artist stated he wanted to rediscover a sense of light and connect with nature without literally depicting landscapes. He used proceeds from the 1959 exhibition to buy land in Springs, Long Island, in 1960.

The painting's physical details are as follows:

Institutional strategy behind the sale

The sale aligns with the Whitney's 2023 Collection Strategic Plan, which recommends making deaccessioning a regular practice for refining holdings. While the museum's policy states works are intended to remain permanently, sales that improve the collection are generally acceptable. The Association of Art Museum Directors permits institutions to use deaccessioning proceeds to acquire new works or pay for direct care of collections.

This marks the Whitney's first significant deaccession under that new strategic framework. The move signals an institutional shift toward actively shaping its holdings of American art. The funds will be used to address gaps and acquire new works, though specific targets have not been disclosed.

The painting will be offered during Christie's evening auction dedicated to the 20th century on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.