Elaine de Kooning Paints a Portrait(1976)

“I almost feel my portraits— portraits I’ve made—are now invading my privacy. When I have them around—to have all these people looking at me—it’s oppressive, and I always find portraits oppressive. But I find them, well, fascinating.”

Elaine de Kooning Paints a Portrait is a documentary film that captures Abstract Expressionist artist Elaine de Kooning at work in her studio, painting a portrait of fellow artist Aristodimis Kaldis. Director Betty Jean Thiebaud observes de Kooning's methodical yet energetic process as she reflects on her artistic philosophy, drawing connections to Rembrandt and exploring the tension between conceptual thinking and lived experience in art-making. Throughout the film, de Kooning engages in ongoing conversations with her artistic peers, revealing how dialogue and community shape her creative practice. The documentary offers an intimate look at how one of Abstract Expressionism's key figures approached portraiture and the broader questions that animated her work.