This book explores the portraiture of Elaine de Kooning, an enormously talented artist whose widely admired body of work--both abstract and figurative--is overdue for a contemporary reassessment. This insightful book explores de Kooning's portraits as well as her artistic process and her position in the rise of Postmodernism. Illustrated throughout with full-color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and archival photos, this book is an important contribution to the literature on Abstract Expressionism, women artists, and feminism during a transformative period, and will also appeal to lovers of painting of all kinds.