Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris 1990

The foundation of this artist’s book is a beat-up copy of the classic Willem de Kooning book, Drawings. this volume reproduces, in exact size, 18 graphite drawings executed by Rita Ackermann in 2015 that respond to 24 of the charcoal drawings of women by de Kooning in his book. Juxtaposing her work with his, Ackermann sets up a critique of the older painter’s macho approach to the female form while simultaneously laying claim to her own expansive and masterful drawing language ( )