Theo van Doesburg, key figure of De Stijl movement and
defiant defender of the European avant-garde
For the very first time in Belgium, this exhibition gives an overview of the multifaceted oeuvre
of the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg, key figure of the artistic movement De Stijl.
The multidisciplinary oeuvre of Piet Mondrian’s artistic ally is presented within the context of
the most important international artistic trends he was involved in.
With works by artists such as Theo van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian, Bart van der Leck, Kurt
Schwitters, Georges Vantongerloo, Hans Arp, El Lissitzky, Victor Servranckx, Gerrit Rietveld,
César Domela, Jean Hélion and Karel Maes.
Theo van Doesburg
A New Expression of Life, Art and Technology
26.02 > 29.05.2016
The Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931)
worked as an artist, poet, writer, typographer, art
theoretician, interior designer and architect. He started
out with a decidedly multidisciplinary approach: he
envisaged an art which intervened in all aspects of life
and pursued the idea of the ‘total work of art’.
During the First World War he was involved in the
beginnings of one of Europe’s most important artistic
trends, De Stijl. In 1917 van Doesburg founded the art
periodical of the same name, surrounding himself with
like-minded artists, architects and designers: Piet
Mondrian was undoubtedly the most well-known, but
Bart van der Leck, J.J.P. Oud, Vilmos Huszár,
Gerrit Rietveld and Georges Vantongerloo were
also members of this collective.
De Stijl, also known as The New Plastic Art or NeoTheo van Doesburg, Counter-Composition
Plasticism, was all about an abstract geometric
XIII, 1925–26
form language, characterised by the use of basic
Oil on canvas, 49.9 x 50 cm © Peggy
elements such as squares oblongs and the use of
Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R.
horizontal and vertical lines. The colour palette
Guggenheim Foundation, New York)
was restricted to primary colours such as blue, yellow
and red and neutral colours such as white, black and
grey. While the artists initially depicted reality according to the principles of De Stijl, they moved
towards a form language of pure, autonomous, abstract forms. This new form language didn’t just
manifest itself in the visual arts, but also in other domains such as architecture, design, film,
typography and graphic design.
The members of De Stijl, spurred on by van Doesburg, worked towards a radical reorganisation of
art, in interaction with society, science and technology. They dedicated themselves to the creation
of an international style which would no longer be an expression of the individual but which would
represent the universal. After the chaos and division of the First World War, there was a need for a
new art which would lead to a new and better world. At the same time van Doesburg was interested in
the latest developments in technology and science and was, for example, highly intrigued by Einstein’s
theory of relativity which enabled him to explore the concept of space-time. At this time interaction
between art, technology and science was a visionary concept.
Under the dynamic leadership of Theo van Doesburg the ideas
of De Stijl rapidly spread throughout Europe. He emerged as
an energetic key figure of the European avant-garde. Van
Doesburg was not a bohemian artist who worked in the solitude
of his studio, au contraire. He wanted to exchange ideas,
inspire and be inspired. During his short, but intense artistic
existence he founded two magazines– De Stijl and Mécano and various artistic groups. As a missionary van Doesburg
travelled around proclaiming his innovative ideas and
surrounded himself with sympathisers. He took part in
congresses, wrote pamphlets, organised exhibitions and
encouraged exchanges of ideas with other artists.
According to Gladys Fabre, curator of the exhibition, he was
simply the right man in the right place. He was in the neutral
Netherlands during the war where De Stijl was born in Leiden
in 1917. During a stay in Paris in 1920 he joined the
international art collective La Section d’Or (Archipenko,
Marthes Donas, Gleizes etc.). That same year he found himself
in Berlin where he was intrigued by the graphic work and films
of the Dadaists Viking Eggeling and Hans Richter. In 1921he
moved to Weimar where Bauhaus was creating a furore. Van
I.K. Bonset (Theo van Doesburg), Je Doesburg infiltrated the Bauhaus movement and infected the
students and teachers with his radical ideas, not entirely to the
suis contre tout et tous, 1921
taste of founder Walter Gropius. During the Dusseldorf
Photography
Congress of Progressive Artists (May 1922) he came into
contact with the Russian Constructivist El Lissitzky, the
Hungarian artist Moholy-Nagy and the Belgian painter Karel
Maes. As of 1923 he settled in France, where he established the art collective Concrete Art in1930
that evolved into Abstraction-Création (1931-1936) a few years before his death.
Van Doesburg’s radical, flamboyant personality
and constantly evolving vision meant that he
regularly entered into conflict with other artists and
that the relations he had forged frequently came
under pressure. Once he had written a new artist’s
manifesto he was often the first to question its
presupposed rules. His friendship with Mondrian
cooled off when van Doesburg wanted to introduce
a greater dynamic in his work by means of diagonal
compositions (Contra-compositions). This formed
the basis for the new artistic trend Elementarism.
Van Doesburg’s revolutionary vision, his
multidisciplinary aesthetic, his taste for dialogue
and confrontation and his committed activism
contributed to the worldwide acknowledgement
and spread of The New Plastic Art and avantgarde art in general.
Jean Hélion, Composition, 1932
Oil on canvas
© Musée de Grenoble
The exhibition
The kaleidoscopic exhibition portrays Theo van Doesburg as a visionary artist and a fascinating
personality. All the aspects of his multidisciplinary oeuvre are examined. Alongside this, the focus
is also placed on the creative dynamic which reigned between the different artists of the avant-garde
and the interplay between the various disciplines which came about as a result of it.
The visitor is confronted with 140 paintings, drawings, photos, magazines, publications, items of
furniture, scale models and stained glass windows by Theo van Doesburg and his artistic
contemporaries.
The exhibition is arranged in a thematic-chronological manner. It begins in 1917 with the art and
body of thought relating to the Dutch movement De Stijl before following Van Doesburg’s artistic
career throughout Europe. There is a section dedicated to Dada and the artistic exchanges of I.K.
Bonset - van Doesburg’s pseudonym - with Dadaistic artists such as Kurt Schwitters, Jean Crotti
Picabia, Raoul Haussman and Thijs Rinsema. Then there is a selection of early abstract films by,
amongst others, Hans Richter and Viking Eggeling, as well as works by the avant-garde artists who
inspired or collaborated with van Doesburg, ranging from constructivists such as El Lissitzky, pupils
of the Bauhaus such as Karl Peter Röhl or Belgian artists like Victor Servranckx and Karel Maes.
In the hall given over to the architecture from the later period of De Stijl, you can see the large-scale
project for the Aubette building in Strasbourg. Theo van Doesburg, Hans Arp and Sophie
Taeuber-Arp transformed the entire interior according to the new geometric principles. The 1:4 scale
reconstruction of the cinema and dance hall designed by Doesburg promises to be a real highlight of
the visit. Finally, there is a focus on new art collectives such as Elementarism and Concrete Art
which were founded by van Doesburg.
Georges Vantongerloo, Study I,
Brussels, 1920
Tempera on paper and card
© MU.ZEE Oostende
Gerrit Rietveld, Red and Blue
Armchair, 1918 (design, manufacture
unknown)
Beechwood, plywood
© Centraal Museum Utrecht
The exhibition has been put together with works of art from the collections of major Dutch museums,
such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Van Abbe museum in Eindhoven, the Central
museum in Utrecht and the Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden. Numerous international
museums such as the Guggenheim in Venice, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, The Winterthur Museum
in Switzerland and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome also got involved, as did major art
galleries and private collectors.
Curator Gladys Fabre
Gladys Fabre is an art historian, curator and author, specialised in modernism and the avant-garde of
th
the 20 century. As a curator and scientific advisor she has been the driving force behind different
international exhibitions in, amongst others, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United
States. Recently she curated the exhibitions Roar China! Chinese Modernism around Lu Xun and
Masereel (2009) at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, Van Doesburg and the International Avant-garde
(2009-2010) in the Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden and the Tate Modern in London and
Electromagnetic. Modern Art in Northern Europe 1918-1931, in Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway
and the Art museum of Estonia KUMU in Tallinn (2013-2014).
Dutch Presidency
The exhibition is organised within the context of the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European
Union. At the same time as Theo van Doesburg. A New Expression of Life, Art and Technology the
Centre for Fine Arts is also exhibiting a selection of 85 original etchings by the Dutch master
Rembrandt van Rijn: Rembrandt in Black & White.
Theo van Doesburg, Counter-Composition V,
1924, Oil on canvas
© Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Victor Servranckx, Opus 11 (Ciné), 1920
Gouache on paper, Private collection
Events around the exhibition of Theo van Doesburg
RRRROM - THEO VAN DOESBURG REVISITED
Film, music, performance & poetry
08.03.2016, 8 pm
In a boisterous evening packed with offbeat film, music, performance, and poetry, BOZAR turns the
spotlight on the work of IK Bonset, the literary alter ego of the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg. The
sound artist Jaap Blonk sends his Dadaist verses hurtling through space and captures them on a 45
rpm record pressed specially for the occasion. Along the way, a musician will improvise on Van
Doesburg's austere paintings. Avant-garde films from the 1920s will throw light on an exceptionally
creative period of European art history.
Tickets: € 9 – 7 (BOZAR-friends)
Co-production: deBuren
Partner: Uitgeverij Het balanseer
FAMILY DAY (4+) around the exhibition of Theo van Doesburg
13.03.2016, 10 am > 5 pm
Bring your family to the BOZAR Family Day and enjoy a day full of culture for grandparents, parents
and children. The theme of this year's Family Day is the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931)
and the exhibition Theo van Doesburg. A New Expression of Life, Art and Technology will immerse
you in his artistic universe. Creative workshops all over the Centre for Fine Arts give your children the
chance to make colourful collages and experiment with shapes and colours from the 1920s.
Tickets: € 10 – 8 (BOZAR-friends) - € 6 (6 >12 years) (Entrance to the exhibition is included in the
ticket)
Support: Nationale Loterij | Loterie Nationale, ENGIE Foundation
DISCOVERY TRAILS WITH THE FAMILY
30.03.2016 — 2:30 pm > 4 pm
06.04.2015 — 2:30 pm > 4 pm
You’re probably familiar with Piet Mondrian’s red, yellow and blue rectangles, but did you know that he
and the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg came up with a new ‘awareness of beauty’? Find out more
about this colourful imagery during the family visit and go on a journey to the beginning of the
twentieth century in the company of the children's guide. You will discover that his brightly coloured
planes and lines don't just crop up in paintings, but can also be found in buildings, garments, furniture
and interiors.
Tickets: € 14 - 12 (BOZAR-friends)- € 6 (6 >12 years)
Production: BOZAR STUDIOS
Support: Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Nationale Bank van België | Banque Nationale de Belgique,
Nationale Loterij | Loterie Nationale, ENGIE (France), ENGIE Foundation
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Theo van Doesburg
A New Expression of Life, Art and Technology
26.02 > 29.05.2016
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Brussels
Open: Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am > 6 pm (Thursday: 10 am > 9 pm)
Closed: Monday
PRICES
Tickets: € 10-8 (BOZAR-friends)
Combitickets:
Theo van Doesburg + Daniel Buren: € 16-14 (BOZAR-friends)
Theo van Doesburg + Rembrandt: € 12-10 (BOZAR-friends)
Visitor guide: € 2-1 (BOZAR-friends)
Audioguide adults: € 3
Audioguide children: Free with entrance ticket to the exhibition
CATALOGUS
Theo van Doesburg
Editor: Fonds Mercator & BOZAR BOOKS
3 separate editions: FR / NL / ENG
288 pag., hardcover, 24 x 31 cm
BOZAR INFO & TICKETS
[email protected] - 0032 2 507 82 00 - www.bozar.be
PRESS CONTACT
[email protected] - T +32 2 507 83 89 - M. +32 479 98 66 07