Roy Newell, 92; early abstract expressionist rarely exhibited work

Roy Newell, 92, a painter who was one of the original American abstract expressionists and a favorite of artist Willem de Kooning, died of cancer Nov. 22 in New York City, his wife said.

Newell was a renowned perfectionist who would spend decades creating a single painting. His layered approach to making irregular geometric pattern paintings would sometimes result in a canvas covered with paint an inch thick.

He met de Kooning at the New York Public Library in the 1940s, and the two became friendly. They were among the founders of the Eighth Street Artists’ Club, which featured such painters as Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline and Philip Pavia.

Newell was a deliberate worker who rarely displayed his paintings. In a career of almost 70 years, his output consisted of fewer than 100 paintings -- although one, donated by de Kooning and his wife Elaine, hangs in the Guggenheim Museum.

Newell’s wife, Anne Cohen, was a schoolteacher who supported his career. He was the son of Eastern European immigrants and a native of New York City.