Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) Lozenge Composition with Four Yellow Lines, 1933 Oil on Canvas, diagonal: 112.9 cm; sides: 80.2 x 79.9 cm Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands ©2014 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International

MARGATE.- Turner Contemporary offers an exclusive UK viewing of the first exhibition to consider the significance of colour during Piet Mondrian’s early career. Mondrian and Colour explores Mondrian’s (1872-1944) practice, tracing the painter’s use of colour from figuration to early abstraction. Bringing together around 50 paintings by the artist from the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and other collections in Europe and the USA, the exhibition will demonstrate that Mondrian’s abstract works were not simply mathematical exercises in form but also expressed his search for a new universal harmony. 

This first exhibition on the significance of colour in the paintings of Mondrian will investigate his artistic career beginning with the earthy paintings of his early work, his paintings in red and blue which arose from his interest in theosophy and the colour fields he painted in the period following 1921. In the landscapes he created shortly after 1900, Mondrian painted the rays of the sun and the glow of the moon in order to make a new statement about colour. He was no longer interested in capturing a fleeting external reality in the Impressionist sense; instead, his goal was to express spirituality in painting and return it to its essential nature. In 1921, Mondrian decided to paint only in primary colours which led to his abstract works. Celebrating the pioneer of abstract art, Turner Contemporary offers a unique UK opportunity to view a large body of Mondrian’s early career in a new context. 

Turner Contemporary is working in partnership with Tate Liverpool, who will present the concurrent exhibition Mondrian and his Studios: Abstraction into the World from 6 June until 21 September 2014. Mondrian and his Studios considers not only the artist’s importance in the field of abstraction, but also the complex relationship between his artworks and the space around them. The exhibition will focus on this connection between painting and architecture after Mondrian’s move to Paris in 1911, with a reconstruction of his studio at 26 Rue du Depart, Paris being a major highlight of the display. Together, the exhibitions will focus the UK’s attention on this pioneer of abstract art, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his death. 

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) Composition with Lar ge Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Gre y and Blue, 1921. Oil on canvas, 95.7 x 95.1 cm. Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag © 2014 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA.

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Composition with Grid 8: Checker board Composition with Dark Colours, 1919 Oil on canvas, 84 cm x 102 cm. Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands © 2014 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA 

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)  Molen (Mill); The Red Mill, 1911 Oil on canvas, 150 cm x 86 cm. Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands © 2014 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA 

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Farmhouse with Wash on the Line, circa 1897 Oil on cardboard, 31.5 cm x 37.5 cm. Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands © 2014 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA