Strike a Pose

Mondrian and Photography
 

14 Jan - 21 May 2023

Piet Mondrian was keenly aware that photography is a powerful means of presenting yourself. It is striking that, in the numerous professional photographs taken of him throughout his career, he always seems to be posing. For example, he was once photographed in his studio in Amsterdam in a pensive pose, sitting on his bed, reading a book. In this carefully staged image, which he thought out down to the last detail, Mondrian seems to want to communicate that he is a well-read artist whose work is based on education and theory. And he succeeded, because to this day we have a persistent image of Mondrian as a deadly serious artist who retreated to his studio like a monk. But informal snapshots show a different picture. In a photograph taken by Mondrian’s girlfriend Agatha Zethraeus, we see him in his underwear in a lithe position with his moustache guard hanging loosely. In around sixty photos, the exhibition Piet Mondrian – Life and Work Beyond Black and White shows how much Mondrian engaged in self-promotion and constantly tried to control his image, but that there was also another side to him.

More information: 

PR Department | Annemarie van den Eijkel | 06 42 21 62 72 | avandeneijkel@kunstmuseum.nl