Contemporary artists respond to De Stijl
December 16, 2017–March 4, 2018
The year 2017 marked 100 years of De Stijl. This renowned modern art movement has been presented and celebrated in a series of exhibitions across the country, and Centraal Museum is presenting a final exhibition to round off this nation-wide manifestation. This exhibition is devoted to works by contemporary artists, from the 1990s until today, for whom the iconic works by Rietveld and Mondriaan are something to mock or to emulate, to interpret or to elaborate on. To commemorate Worlds AIDS day the installation of General Idea opens earlier, on December 1.
Influence of De Stijl
In this exhibition, featuring Collectief General Idea, Erik van Lieshout, Katja Mater, Mary Heilmann, Ding Yi, Barbara Visser, Marc Bijl and others, the artists offer some form of commentary on De Stijl.
The exhibition takes its cue from several components of the installation by the influential collective General Idea, called Infected Mondriaan. In response to the HIV/Aids epidemic, they made copies of Mondriaan’s paintings and Rietveld’s chairs, but replacing the colour yellow by the colour green, which Mondriaan detested.
Rutten, artistic director of Centraal Museum: "100 years after the establishment of the artists’ journal, De Stijl has become an iconic concept. It represents an uncompromising ambition and lofty ideals that continue to inspire, impress but also annoy artists today. Thanks to these artists, De Stijl remains alive and kicking."
Bye bye De Stijl video: Contemporary artists respond to De Stijl
The exhibition Bye bye De Stijl shows the work of eleven contemporary artists. In this film the artists tell about the influence of De Stijl on their work or life. Watch Bye bye De Stijl here.
Centraal Museum
The Centraal Museum is your gateway to art and culture from the world of Utrecht in the Netherlands. From Rietveld to the Utrecht Caravaggists, from Dick Bruna to Moesman and from Viktor & Rolf to the centuries-old Utrecht ship. A museum which leaves you inspired time after time. Also on display till March 18, Pyke Koch. The Utrecht painter. Koch, is among the leading representatives of magic realism in the Netherlands.
