1. N° and issue date : 120401 - 01/04/2012
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EXHIBITIONS
JOSEF ALBERS
A
disciplined
diet colour of
Alexander Adamssavours an
exhibition thatreveals JosefAlbers'
ambition and virtuosity
Painting on Paper Josef Albers :
in
America
Musee National ArtModerne Centre
'
d
,
Pompidou Paris ,
8
February-3o April 2012
Catalogue byHeinz Liesbrock and
MichaelSemff eds. ( )
ISBN 9783775725873 hardback -39.80 ( )
(
Hatje Cantz )
Josef Albers 1888-1976 one the pioneers (
) ,
of
abstraction the Bauhaus and America
of
at
in
,
was undeviatingly consistent hisdedication in
to
theinvestigation colour harmony Like of
.
Piet Mondrian he considered dry doctor ,
is a
of
art-as-science Thusthe classic austere .
,
AlbersHomage the Square that greets to
visitors this touring exhibition oil paintings
to
of
appears have beendefaced with casual to
,
pencil interventions markingits surface.
Yetthese are thehandiwork theartist of
,
an aspect Albers' practice that the to
is
,
studies for his famous compositions thathe
neverpubliclyrevealed andwhich have been
only rarely seen. today asthe curators argue the catalogue.
,'
in
Unless stated otherwise the works illustrating this
,
When Albers andhiswife the textile ,
Albers' return painting was inextricably to
revieware byJosef Albers 1888-1976 (
)
designer Anni arrived America 1933 ,
in
in
linked renewed fascination with colour
to a
:
1 Colour Studyfor Homage theSquare to
as voluntary exiles from Germany was ,
it to
theintense saturated colours Mexican ,
of
Oil and graphite on blotting paper
teach first Black Mountain College and
,
at
architecture directlyinspired hisAdobe withvarnish 3o.5x30.5cm
,
The Josef Albers Museum Quadrat Bottrop
later Yale They were remain America
at .
to
in
series which turn preceded hismost in
,
Germany
,
for the rest their lives dedicated teacher of
.
A
,
famousgroup variations Homage the of
,
to
Albers didnot resume painting seriously for Square begun 195o. in
2
Study forHomage theSquare with ColourStudy
to
Oil on blotting paper 36 ,5x29.5cm
,
several years after immigrating Nonetheless .
'
I' ve been painting anawfullot ,'
wrote The Josef AnniAlbers Foundation Bethany
,
&
he was allthe while absorbing influences
,
:
Albers 1947 Morethan hundred studies.
in .
' a
the unspoiledwildernesses North America And all onone theme with thestrictest diet
3 Variant /
Adobe 1947 ,
Oil on blotting paper 43.8x6o.9cm
of
I
,
and aboveall the culture and art Mexico can impose onmyself only unmixed colours
,
, ,
of
,
:
The Josef Anni Albers Foundation Bethany
&
which he visited for the firsttime 1935 put
,
in
with the exception pink and rose and
Colour Study
, of
hiswork on new footing was America... all fixed geometrically defined quantities.
4
Oil on blotting paper 21.9x27.6cm
a
. It
in
,
that shaped thepainter Josef Albers we know All onanunderlying constructive rhythm.
,
,
The Josef AnniAlbers Foundation Bethany
&
,
1/2
Copyright (Apollo)
No reproduction without authorisation
Centre Pompidou - RP UK