NEW YORK, NY.- From November 22, 2024, through April 20, 2025, the Guggenheim New York presents a selection of paintings and drawings by Piet Mondrian (b. 1872, Amersfoort, Netherlands; d. 1944, New York) from its singular collection, one of the most representative in the world. Piet Mondrian: Ever further traces the steady evolution of Mondrian’s art, from his early nature drawings in the Netherlands through his turn to radical abstraction in Paris, which continued into his final years in New York. The exhibition reveals the artist’s life-long pursuit to move painting away “ever further” from the representation of nature to render a universal essence or spirit behind the appearances of the world. Showcasing 18 works, including two rare sketchbooks and a key loan from the Clark Art Institute, together for the first time, the exhibition provides a comprehensive narrative of Mondrian’s artistic path.
Piet Mondrian: Ever further is the first in a new exhibition series, Collection in Focus, that draws from the Guggenheim’s collection. The series is part of a reinvigorated effort to make the Guggenheim’s world-renowned holdings more accessible to the public.
“We often hear from our visitors that they want to see more of the greatest works from our collection of modern and contemporary art. We do, too, and will present them in focus shows that allow our audiences to engage with specific artists or themes in revelatory and delightful ways,” says Mariët Westermann, Director and CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.
Westermann, curator of Piet Mondrian: Ever further, continues, “It is a joy to start with Mondrian, including works he made in my Dutch hometown of Laren. His greatest innovations in Paris coincided with the inventions of the artists in the Guggenheim’s simultaneous rotunda exhibition, Harmony and Dissonance: Orphism in Paris 1910–1930, but Mondrian took abstraction in an entirely different direction. His pictures in the Guggenheim allow us to reconstruct his creative journey step by step, and they help us see him as the experimental painter he was—not just the geometric designer he is often thought to be.”
Mondrian dedicated his life’s work to the development of abstract art. It took him years to arrive at his signature compositions, in which horizontal and vertical black lines form right-angled panes filled with shades of white and black and the primary colors red, yellow, and blue. Crafted to resist any illusion of depth, these paintings were a revelation when first introduced, and today are recognized around the world. Through his involvement with the design and art movement known as De Stijl (The Style), Mondrian communicated that abstract painting could be a blueprint for modern life, urbanized, and ever further removed from nature. Over the decades, his ideas have spawned design innovations and branding that vastly exceeded his intent, from furniture and fashion to hotels and even software.
Piet Mondrian: Ever further is organized by Mariët Westermann, Director and CEO, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.
