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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Georges Vantongerloo: A Pioneer of Modern Art

July 9 – Aug 31, 2020
Limmatstrasse 270, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland

A member of the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl (The Style)—founded in 1917 by Piet Mondrian, Bart van der Leck, and Theo van Doesburg—the Belgian artist-architect-theorist Georges Vantongerloo spent his life working on architectural designs and compositional reflections. He achieved success early on, and displayed his models at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in 1930. He often derived the carefully drawn lines of his abstract sculptures and paintings from mathematical equations, and was known for his simple interweaving of color and light. In a selective survey, 15 works on paper, and two important sculptures are on display. —E.C.

Georges Vantongerloo, Study for “Composition dans le côneavec couleur orangé,” 1929 © Angela Thomas Schmid/ 2020 ProLitteris, Zurich. Courtesy the Max Bill, Georges Vantongerloo. Stiftung and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Jon Etter.