Mondrian at 80
“Subjectivity ceases to exist only when the mutation-like leap is made from subjectivity to objectivity,
from individual existence to universal existence.”
– Piet Mondrian
Mondrian80
Jun 1 - Jul 6, 2024
Grave Site Pilgrimage: Sat, June 1, 3pm (details to come)
Opening Reception: Sat, June 1, 5-7pm
Hours: Open Saturdays in June, hours 1-6pm, or by appointment
Directions: Norte Maar, 88 Pine Street, Cypress Hills, Brooklyn
J/Z Train to Brooklyn, Crescent Street Stop
It’s been 80 years since Mondrian, a pioneer of abstract art, was buried in a pauper’s grave in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn. From early landscape paintings of trees to geometric grids made up of colored lines and syncopated rhythms, Mondrian was rigorous. Pushing past references and influences, he was committed to creating a clear, universal aesthetic language.
So what’s changed in the field of abstract painting now that generations have ingested, consumed, devoured, and regurgitated the art of Mondrian? Does the purity he sought still exist? In a celebration of Mondrian’s legacy, this exhibition attempts to find out.
“With our sights set on the formal questions posed by Mondrian, we present a critical position that rejects the prevailing political reductivism of our current institutional art world and the players that enforce it. After winning the battle over a century ago to free art from the propaganda of politics—we embrace the ongoing pursuit of an aesthetic purity. This exhibition highlights the work of over 30 artists and their continuing efforts to expand and develop formal languages that drive new aesthetic possibilities. Using those same age-old techniques, these artists engage societial discourse without resorting to agitprop or propping up personalities. Mondrian proved that one could have a highly developed abstract art and a utopian aspiration for society.”
ARTISTS INCLUDE:
Amanda Brazier
Sharon Butler
Jacob Cartwright
Paul Corio
Mark Dagley
Peter Demos
David Diao
Leonardo Drew
Max Estenger
Mary Heilmann
David Horii
Norman Jabaut
Mary Jones
Gwenael Kerlidou
Imi Knoebel
Harriet Korman
Sono Kuwayama
Margrit Lewczuk
Russell Maltz
Tom Martinelli
John Mendelsohn
Brooke Moyse
Mario Naves
David Rhodes
Tariku Shiferaw
Andy Spence
Andrew Szbody
Li Trincere
Greg Wall
Marjorie Welish
Jocko Weyland
Ruri Yi
Mike Zahn
