Au Coeur De L'abstraction : Collection De La Fondation Gandur Pour L'art

Exhibition at the Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, 2 July - 20 November 2022

In the wake of Second World War, as many European artists exiled in the United States headed back to France, Paris regained its status as a hotbed of creativity and a global cultural capital. Artists from all over the world returned to their studios, abandoned during the German occupation, and engaged in an era of creative effervescence, be it in the arts, literature or filmmaking. While the breakthroughs by the vanguards of the first half of the 20th century were an invaluable post-war stimulus, abstract art renewed itself from the most gestural expression to the interrogation of materials, mediums and techniques.

Featuring 120 works from the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art (Geneva), this exhibition catalogue offers an immersion into the vibrant creation of the years 1945 to 1980. Through works by Hartung, Hantaï, Soulages, Mathieu, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Vasarely, Calder, Tinguely and the Supports/Surfaces group, it shows the evolution of non-figurative art over four decades.