Max Bill & Georges Vantongerloo: Crossover
The lifelong friendship and extended written correspondence between Swiss artist Max Bill and Belgian-born artist Georges Vantongerloo united their independent artistic and intellectual endeavors and helped to push the boundaries of their work into new aesthetic realms. Beginning 27 January 2022, Hauser & Wirth New York will present 鈥榗rossover,鈥� an exhibition devoted to the two polymath鈥檚 art and ideas, at the gallery鈥檚 69th Street location. Vantongerloo was, together with Piet Mondrian, a key member of the Dutch art movement de stjil. Bill, a former student of the Bauhaus, was deeply involved with the Paris-based abstraction-cr茅ation artist collective beginning in 1933, a group that Vantongerloo was also a member of since 1931. The two first met in 1935 and felt an immediate appreciation and respect for each other鈥檚 distinct artistic practice. This bond would continue throughout their lifetime and influence subsequent generations of artists and thinkers.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Hauser & Wirth Publishers is pleased to present 鈥楢 Subversive Gleam: Max Bill and his Time. 1908鈥�1939,鈥� the first volume of a comprehensive Max Bill monograph by Dr. Angela Thomas Schmid 鈥� art historian and widow of the artist 鈥� translated into English for the first time.
鈥榗rossover鈥� highlights the lasting achievements of Bill and Vantongerloo through an in-depth selection of paintings and sculptures, some of which are being shown in the United States for the first time since their major American traveling retrospectives in 1974-1975 and 1980-1981, respectively. The exhibition鈥檚 title not only refers to the artists鈥� relationship with each other, but also to the prolific and numerous connections and exchanges they had within the American art scene, and their lasting impact on art movements like minimalism. Curated by Dr. Angela Thomas Schmid, President of the max bill georges vantongerloo foundation, this presentation reveals how the progress of their extraordinary and constantly evolving creative exchange mirrors the artistic breakthroughs that defined the 20th century, particularly in the field of concrete art 鈥� which would echo throughout Latin America, in particular Argentina and Brazil, and support the development of many forward-thinking artists including Lidy Prati and her husband Tom谩s Maldonado, Almir Mavignier, Mary Vieira, Lygia Pape, Lygia Clark and H茅lio Oiticica. Their approach stemmed from mathematics and modern scientific theories, but also allowed for the possibility of beauty and the role of intuition. This was expressed through their deep interest in the notions of continuity and infinity, as exemplified by works such as Bill鈥檚 鈥榰nendliche schleife鈥� (Endless Ribbon) (conceived 1935-1953 (executed 2015)) or Vantongerloo鈥檚 鈥楻茅volution鈥� (Revolution) (1946).
Recommended for you
The lifelong friendship and extended written correspondence between Swiss artist Max Bill and Belgian-born artist Georges Vantongerloo united their independent artistic and intellectual endeavors and helped to push the boundaries of their work into new aesthetic realms. Beginning 27 January 2022, Hauser & Wirth New York will present 鈥榗rossover,鈥� an exhibition devoted to the two polymath鈥檚 art and ideas, at the gallery鈥檚 69th Street location. Vantongerloo was, together with Piet Mondrian, a key member of the Dutch art movement de stjil. Bill, a former student of the Bauhaus, was deeply involved with the Paris-based abstraction-cr茅ation artist collective beginning in 1933, a group that Vantongerloo was also a member of since 1931. The two first met in 1935 and felt an immediate appreciation and respect for each other鈥檚 distinct artistic practice. This bond would continue throughout their lifetime and influence subsequent generations of artists and thinkers.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Hauser & Wirth Publishers is pleased to present 鈥楢 Subversive Gleam: Max Bill and his Time. 1908鈥�1939,鈥� the first volume of a comprehensive Max Bill monograph by Dr. Angela Thomas Schmid 鈥� art historian and widow of the artist 鈥� translated into English for the first time.
鈥榗rossover鈥� highlights the lasting achievements of Bill and Vantongerloo through an in-depth selection of paintings and sculptures, some of which are being shown in the United States for the first time since their major American traveling retrospectives in 1974-1975 and 1980-1981, respectively. The exhibition鈥檚 title not only refers to the artists鈥� relationship with each other, but also to the prolific and numerous connections and exchanges they had within the American art scene, and their lasting impact on art movements like minimalism. Curated by Dr. Angela Thomas Schmid, President of the max bill georges vantongerloo foundation, this presentation reveals how the progress of their extraordinary and constantly evolving creative exchange mirrors the artistic breakthroughs that defined the 20th century, particularly in the field of concrete art 鈥� which would echo throughout Latin America, in particular Argentina and Brazil, and support the development of many forward-thinking artists including Lidy Prati and her husband Tom谩s Maldonado, Almir Mavignier, Mary Vieira, Lygia Pape, Lygia Clark and H茅lio Oiticica. Their approach stemmed from mathematics and modern scientific theories, but also allowed for the possibility of beauty and the role of intuition. This was expressed through their deep interest in the notions of continuity and infinity, as exemplified by works such as Bill鈥檚 鈥榰nendliche schleife鈥� (Endless Ribbon) (conceived 1935-1953 (executed 2015)) or Vantongerloo鈥檚 鈥楻茅volution鈥� (Revolution) (1946).
Artists on show
Contact details
Related articles
Stay up-to-date with our ongoing guide to the best new and upcoming New York art exhibitions and events for your diary
The lifelong friendship and extended written correspondence between Swiss artist Max Bill and Belgian-born artist Georges Vantongerloo united their independent artistic and intellectual endeavors and helped to push the boundaries of their work into new aesthetic realms.
The alluring exhibition 鈥淐rossover,鈥� between Swiss artist Max Bill and Belgian artist Georges Vantongerloo, is currently in its final weeks at Hauser & Wirth鈥檚 69th Street location in New York.
What's on nearby
