De Kooning Rijksmuseum 2026 — officially *Willem de Kooning at work* — opens Friday 9 October 2026 and runs through 17 January 2027 at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. The museum’s July press release and live exhibition page frame it as a 100-years-after-departure homecoming: more than 120 works centred on drawings, plus celebrated paintings and sculptures, developed with the Art Institute of Chicago and The Willem de Kooning Foundation. If you need dates, ticket basics, or what hangs in the Gallery of Honour, this ADVANCE Art guide answers before the October open.
Dates, tickets, and visit basics
Exhibition: *Willem de Kooning at work*
Dates: 9 October 2026 – 17 January 2027
Venue: Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, Amsterdam (open daily 9:00–17:00)
Adult admission: €25 (ages 18 and under free per exhibition page)
Partners: Art Institute of Chicago; The Willem de Kooning Foundation, New York
Book a start time online when the museum’s timed-entry flow requires it—standard Rijksmuseum practice for major shows.
What the show actually is
Rijksmuseum’s 8 July 2026 press release calls this the first exhibition to place the full scope of de Kooning’s drawn oeuvre at centre. Drawing was not a preparatory step for him—it was the foundation of practice across more than 65 years. Named loans and highlights in museum copy include *Excavation* (1950, Art Institute of Chicago), *Pink Angels* (c. 1945), *Woman* (1983, Museum Ludwig), and drawings such as *Reclining Nude (Juliet Browner)* and *Woman in a Rowboat*.
Alongside the Philips Wing exhibition hang, two icons sit in the Gallery of Honour near the Night Watch: *Woman I* (1950–52, MoMA) and *Woman and Bicycle* (1952–53). That Gallery of Honour placement is the SEO differentiator versus a generic “de Kooning retrospective” query.
Why Amsterdam, why now
Born Rotterdam 1904, de Kooning stowed away to New York in 1926 and became a New York School pillar beside Pollock, Krasner, Newman and Rothko—while resisting Abstract Expressionist labels. One hundred years after that departure, Rijksmuseum stages the Dutch return with Chicago research partnership and a dual publication plan (AIC-edited catalogue on drawings; Rijksmuseum Dutch-language overview). Public programme notes include Teekenschool drawing workshops and an audiotour.
Fenix in Rotterdam separately shows three monumental bronzes on the quay from 18 July 2026—useful related travel context, not a twin of the Rijksmuseum dates.
Why ADVANCE now (spike ~9 October)
Museum-open queries rise 7–14 days out: “De Kooning Rijksmuseum 2026,” “Willem de Kooning at work tickets,” “Woman I Amsterdam.” Publishing mid–late September with verified dates + Gallery of Honour note ranks before press-week photo dumps.
People also ask: how many works are in the de Kooning Rijksmuseum show?
Rijksmuseum press materials say more than 120 works, with drawings as the spine and selected paintings/sculptures in the mix. Ticket price on the exhibition page is €25 for adults.
Practical planning for October open week
Adult tickets are listed at €25 on the exhibition page; under-18s free. Pair the Philips Wing survey with the Gallery of Honour stop for *Woman I* and *Woman and Bicycle*—that combo is the visit intent most ADVANCE readers actually search. Rijksmuseum open hours remain daily 09:00–17:00. If you are stacking design-week travel the same fortnight, Designblok Prague’s public days (7–11 Oct) sit on adjacent calendar space without overlapping this Art primary keyword.
Related Sunday Profile coverage
Seed the Art exhibitions cluster here; adjacent culture calendar pieces include Designblok Prague 2026 (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/designblok-prague-2026) (6–11 Oct Light theme) and ADFF NYC 2026 (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/adff-nyc-2026)—October design/film-festival neighbours without twinning this Art primary keyword.
Sources: Rijksmuseum *Willem de Kooning at work* exhibition page; Rijksmuseum press release, 8 July 2026; Rijksmuseum visitor / admissions notes (€25 adults; daily 9–17h).