The project
In the summer of 2022 the Fondation Beyeler will be devoting an exhibition to the young Piet Mondrian. The presentation will show the artist’s fascinating trajectory from the painter of landscapes to the creator of the radical, concentrated compositions of lines, planes and colors that established his fame and made him a leading exponent of modern art.
Plans for a major Mondrian exhibition at the museum in 2022 provided the impetus to set up the Piet Mondrian Conservation Project. The focus of the project, starting in 2019 and running to 2021, is on the technical investigation of the seven paintings held by the Fondation Beyeler.
Partnership: The conservation of the four late works is made possible by the generous support of La Prairie. See their coverage of the project here.
The main focus
research
Comprehensive research and examination of Mondrian’s materials and techniques
preservation
Long-term preservation of the paintings for future generations
Reconstruction
Reconstruction of original framing and new design approaches to the presentation of Mondrian paintings
Explore more works
Eukalyptus
Eucalyptus provides a striking demonstration of Mondrian’s experiments with stylistic elements of Cubism in the treatment of composition and color.
Return to overview
Get an overview of the Piet Mondrian Conservation Project and the seven works being examined.
Composition No. XVI
(Compositie I, Arbres)
Despite the geometric structure of Composition No. XVI, the generally fine lines and sketch-like application of color make the picture light and transparent. The latter effect is amplified by the fact that large areas of the primed canvas remain visible.