Georges Vantongerloo

Georges Vantongerloo (1886–1965) was a Belgian painter, sculptor, and theorist of the first generation of the De Stijl group. After relocating to Paris from Menton, Georges Vantongerloo joined the Abstraction Création group in 1931 and served as its vice president until 1937, helping organise exhibitions and publish annual volumes bringing together an international network of abstract artists. In 1930, his architectural models for bridges and an airport project were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, reflecting his interest in the relationship between abstraction, architecture, and modern design. Vantongerloo later participated in the landmark exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1936, while his first solo exhibition took place at the Galerie de Berri in Paris in 1943, during the years of Nazi occupation. In France his work was exhibited at Musée Rodin, ‘2e Exposition internationale de Sculpture contemporaine’ in 1961 and in Palais de la Découverte, ‘Formes: mathématiques, peintres, sculpteurs contemporains’ in 1963.

During Ellsworth Kelly’s years in Paris, Kelly met the artist through fellow artist Jürg Spiller and visited Vantongerloo’s studio several times with different friends.