In early 2011, I made a mad dash to Paris for a four day weekend to see the Mondrian / De Stijl exhibit at the Pompidou Center. Decadent yes, but it was a must see event for an art history geek like myself.  De  Stijl, Dutch for ‘The Style‘ was a movement from 1917 – 1928 that sought to wipe out all historical references in art, architecture and furniture, creating a new design vocabulary for the 20th Century.

Painter Piet Mondrian and furniture designer/architect  Gerrit Rietveld are the two most famous people from this period. Their works were the subject of this monumental exhibit at the Pompidou Center, an exhibit that had a strict policy against photography with guards in every room chasing down anyone with a camera. How did I get these shots you ask… not easy. (lets hope they don’t find my blog) It was so exciting to get to see these works in person, although I almost didn’t make it to the exhibit entrance. Do you see the little glass tube at the top of the Pompidou Center, 6 stories up, not a good thing for a guy with a fear of heights. When the elevator doors opened, I almost fainted. Complete strangers in the elevator grabbed my arms, told me to close my eyes, and then walked me to the entrance of the exhibit. So worth the trauma!

It was exciting to see the evolution of Mondrian’s paintings from the cubist inspired ‘The Still Life with Ginger Pot II‘ to his starker images that we’re all so familiar with, such as ‘Composition with red blue and yellow’ 1930.  Many people associate this ‘look’ with the 1960’s or 1970’s thanks to the Partridge Family Bus from the television series ‘The Partridge Family. However, it all started about 50 years earlier.