Mondrian and his Studios | artanddesignnow

Tate Liverpool: Exhibition. Until 5 October 2014

Dutch painter Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) was one of the pioneers of abstract art in the 20th century, producing an iconic body of work. This brand new exhibition, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the artist’s death, provides fresh insights into Mondrian’s practice and explores his relationship with architecture and urbanism.

Mondrian and his Studios considers not only Mondrian’s importance in the field of abstraction, but also the relationship between his iconic artworks and the space around them. Mondrian’s studios in Amsterdam, Paris and New York all reflected different stages of the painter’s way of thinking and working.

Mondrian and his Studios: Abstraction into the World

Mondrian worked with cut out rectangles of coloured card pinned to the wall of his studio, which he moved around until he found the visual balance and tension he was seeking.

Mondrian grew up and received his art training in the Netherlands before moving to Paris in 1919. It was here, along with Theo van Doesburg that he founded the De Stijl art magazine and the art movement that came to be named after it.

Mondrian developed a form of non-representational art he termed Neoplasticism, which aimed to simplify art to its most essential elements of straight horizontal and vertical lines, rectangles and a limited palette on black, white, grey, red, yellow and blue. Mondrian sought to express the “universal” in art and in life, by reducing it to its simplest and purest forms.

In Mondrian’s paintings the various elements are arranged to create an overall harmony of the individual elements, with asymmetry, visual balance and rhythm all playing a part in the development of the final image. Mondrian worked with cut out rectangles of coloured card pinned to the wall of his studio, which he moved around until he found the visual balance and tension he was seeking. His studio was a 3D expression of his ideas and philosophy.

In 1931 he joined a group of abstract painters and sculptors known as Abstraction-Création. The group arranged exhibitions and published an annual of their works which generally centred on geometrical abstraction.

Despite his international standing as an artist, Mondrian’s work was labeled as degenerate and removed from museums in Germany by the Nazis in the 1930’s. With preparations for war across Europe in 1938, Mondrian moved from Paris to London at the invitation of his friend and colleague Ben Nicholson. Mondrian continued to work and exhibit in London, until the London Blitz caused him to move to the United States.

Mondrian’s last studio was in New York City, where the energy of the city and his love of jazz music, both invigorated Mondrian to produce colourful and complex late works.

The current exhibition at Tate Liverpool seeks to show the links between Mondrian’s work and the spaces and cities he produced them in.

The exhibition features paintings, photographs and a full size reconstruction of Mondrian’s Paris studio from the 20’s.

Adult £11 (without donation £10) Concession £8.25 (without donation £7.50)

http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-liverpool

Piet Mondrian Composition C (No.III) with Red, Yellow and Blue.

Reconstruction of Mondrian’s Studio at 26, rue du Départ, Paris, showing the studio as it was in 1926. Scale 1:1, based on Frans Postma’s plans,

1994-1995 – “Collection Link” Haarlem, Netherlands.

Piet Mondrian and Pétro (Nelly) van Doesburg in Mondrian's studio at Rue du Départ, Paris. 1923. Anonymous photographer.