Concrete art emerged as an art movement characterized by a pronounced focus on geometric abstraction. The term was initially conceptualized by Theo van Doesburg, who subsequently employed it in 1930 to delineate his artistic perspective from that of contemporary abstract artists. Following his demise in 1931, Max Bill further refined and disseminated the term, notably organizing the inaugural international exhibition in 1944 and actively fostering the style's adoption across Latin America. Post-World War II, the nomenclature gained widespread acceptance and was advanced through various international exhibitions and artistic currents.
Conceptual Genesis
Subsequent to the formal dissolution of De stijl, marked by the final publication of its magazine in 1928, van Doesburg initiated considerations for establishing a new collective grounded in a comparable abstract methodology. In 1929, he engaged in discussions regarding these plans with Uruguayan painter Joaquín Torres-García, proposing potential members such as Georges Vantongerloo, Constantin Brâncuși, František Kupka, Piet Mondrian, Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart, and Antoine Pevsner. Nevertheless, van Doesburg categorized the prospective members into two distinct groups: artists whose creations retained some degree of figuration and those whose work was entirely devoid of referential elements. Given that this categorization implied the potential exclusion of the former group, the dialogue between van Doesburg and Torres-García quickly ceased, leading Torres-García to collaborate instead with Belgian critic Michel Seuphor to establish the group Cercle et Carré.
Subsequently, van Doesburg advanced the formation of a competing collective, Art Concret, advocating for a geometrically abstract art form that resonated strongly with Neo-plasticist aesthetics. He contended that the term 'abstract,' when applied to art, carried pejorative implications, favoring instead the more affirmative descriptor 'concrete.' Van Doesburg's initiative eventually attracted Otto G. Carlsund, Léon Arthur Tutundjian, Jean Hélion, and his housemate, the typographer Marcel Wantz (1911–1979), though Wantz soon departed to pursue a political career. In May 1930, they released a singular edition of their French-language periodical, Revue Art Concret, which included a collective manifesto that established their identity as a more avant-garde faction within abstractionism.
"FUNDAMENTALS OF CONCRETE PAINTING
The manifesto declared:
- Art is universal.
- An artwork must be wholly conceptualized and structured mentally prior to its physical realization. It must not incorporate any formal elements derived from nature, sensuality, or sentimentality. The exclusion of lyricism, drama, symbolism, and similar expressive modes is imperative.
- A painting must be constructed exclusively from purely plastic components, specifically surfaces and colors. No pictorial element possesses meaning beyond its intrinsic form; consequently, a painting's significance is confined solely to its own being.
- Both the overall composition of a painting and the arrangement of its constituent elements must exhibit simplicity and visual manageability.
- The painting technique employed must be mechanical, implying precision and an anti-impressionistic approach.
- The pursuit of absolute clarity is deemed essential."
The collective proved ephemeral, participating in only three joint exhibitions during 1930, all within broader group shows. These included the Salon des Surindépendents in June, Production Paris 1930 in Zürich, and in August, the exhibition AC: Internationell utställning av postkubistisk konst (International exhibition of post-cubist art) in Stockholm, which was curated by Carlsund. In the catalogue accompanying the Stockholm exhibition, Carlsund articulated the group's "programme" as "clear: absolute Purism. Neo-Plasticism, Purism and Constructivism combined." Prior to van Doesburg's passing in 1931, the remaining active members of the Art Concret group in Paris integrated with the more extensive Abstraction-Création association.
Theoretical Underpinnings
In 1930, Michel Seuphor articulated the function of the abstract artist in the inaugural issue of Cercle et Carré. He posited that this role involved "establishing, upon the foundations of a structure that is simple, severe, and unadorned in every part, and within a basis of unconcealed narrow unity with this structure, an architecture which, utilizing the technical means available to its period, expresses in a clear language that which is truly immanent and immutable." Art historian Werner Haftmann attributes the evolution of Seuphor's concept of pure abstraction to the convergence of Russian Constructivism and Dutch Neo-Plasticism at the Bauhaus. Here, painting transcended the artificiality of representation, embracing technological authenticity. Haftmann further noted that "In close connection with architecture and engineering, art should endeavour to give form to life itself … [The former] provided new sources of inspiration as well as new materials – steel, aluminium, glass, synthetic materials."
As articulated by van Doesburg in his manifesto, universal art necessitates the renunciation of subjectivity, seeking impersonal inspiration solely within its fundamental constituent elements: line, plane, and color. Notably, several subsequent artists aligned with this movement, including Victor Vasarély, Jean Dewasne, Mario Negro, and Richard Mortensen, initially pursued scientific studies before engaging with painting. Despite this, theoretical progress invariably seeks validation in historical precedents. In this context, the mathematical proportions inherent in abstract forms can be discerned across diverse artistic expressions spanning millennia. Consequently, Haftmann contended that "the elimination of representational images and the overt use of pure geometry do not imply a radical and definitive rejection of the great art of the past, but rather a reassertion of its eternal values stripped of their historical and social disguises."
Development
Although Abstraction-Création encompassed a spectrum of modernistic movements, certain members were instrumental in propagating the concept of mathematically inspired art, termed 'concrete art,' across various nations upon their relocation. A prominent figure was Joaquín Torres García, who returned to South America in 1934, subsequently mentoring artists who, in 1945, established the group Arte Concreto Invención in Buenos Aires. Another influential individual was the designer Max Bill, a Bauhaus alumnus from 1927–1929. Following his return to Switzerland, Bill co-founded the Allianz group to advocate for the principles of Concrete Art. In 1944, he curated the inaugural international exhibition in Basel and simultaneously launched abstract-konkret, the monthly bulletin for the Gallerie des Eaux Vives in Zurich. By 1960, Bill had organized a significant retrospective exhibition of Concrete Art in Zürich, commemorating five decades of its evolution.
Abstraction, which had been steadily developing in Italy during the interwar period, formally materialized with the establishment of the Movimento d'arte concreta (MAC) in 1948. Its leading proponent, Alberto Magnelli, was a former member of Abstraction-Création who had resided in France for many years. Nevertheless, approximately seventy Italian painters were featured in the Arte astratta e concreta in Italia exhibition, held three years later at the National Gallery in Rome. In Paris, this artistic methodology gained recognition through several exhibitions, commencing with Art Concret at the Gallerie René Drouin in the summer of 1945. This event was characterized as "the first major post-World War 2 exhibition of abstract art," showcasing works by an older generation of abstractionists, including Jean Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Sonia Delaunay, César Domela, Otto Freundlich, Jean Gorin, Auguste Herbin, Wassily Kandinsky, Alberto Magnelli, Piet Mondrian, Antoine Pevsner, and van Doesburg. The subsequent year saw the initiation of annual exhibitions at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, which featured some of these artists and, as per its articles of association, was dedicated to "works of art commonly called: concrete art, non-figurative or abstract art."
In 1951, Groupe Espace was established in France with the objective of integrating painting, sculpture, and architecture into a unified discipline. The group comprised sculptors and architects alongside established artists like Sonia Delaunay and Jean Gorin, as well as emerging figures such as Jean Dewasne and Victor Vasarély. Its manifesto, published in L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui during the same year and prominently displayed on Parisian streets, advocated for the essential role of the plastic arts across all facets of life to foster the harmonious advancement of human endeavors. Furthermore, the group engaged in practical politics, notably by electing Eugène Claudius-Petit, the Minister for Reconstruction and Urban Development, as its honorary president.
Over time, a differentiation emerged between 'cold abstraction,' characterized by geometric Concrete Art, and 'warm abstraction,' which, through its progression towards various forms of Lyrical abstraction, reintegrated personal expression into artistic practice. The former category subsequently influenced international movements that leveraged technological principles advocated by Concrete Art's originators, manifesting as optical art, kinetic art, and programmatic art. The designation 'Concrete' also expanded beyond painting to encompass other disciplines, including sculpture, photography, and poetry. This expansion was theoretically substantiated in South America by the 1959 Neo-Concrete Manifesto, authored by a collective of artists in Rio de Janeiro, among whom were Lygia Clark, Hélio Oiticica, and Lygia Pape.
Concurrently, a distinct manifestation of the movement emerged in Cuba, led by Loló Soldevilla and her collaborator, the painter and poet Pedro de Oraá. Their Galería Color-Luz, established in 1957, functioned as a foundational space for Los Diez Pintores Concretos ("The Ten"), a collective committed to Concrete Art and its universal visual lexicon. Their artistic output integrated the European methodology with a uniquely Cuban application of color, lyricism, and tactile qualities.
International Scope
Museum Collections
- The Haus Konstruktiv museum, located in Zurich, Switzerland, specializes in constructive and concrete art.
- The Museum für Konkrete Kunst, situated in Ingolstadt, Germany.
- The Mondriaan House – Museum for Constructive and Concrete Art, located in Amersfoort, Netherlands.
Selected Bibliography
- Concrete Cuba: Cuban Geometric Abstraction from the 1950s, David Zwirner Books, 2016, ISBN 9781941701331.
- Dempsey, Amy. Art in the Modern Era: A Guide to Styles, Schools & Movements. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2002.
- Fabre, Gladys, and Doris Wintgens Hötte. Van Doesburg & the International Avant-Garde: Constructing a New World. London: Tate Publishing, 2010.
- Fogelström, Lollo (ed.). Otto G. Carlsund: konstnär, kritiker och utställningsarrangör. Liljevalchs konsthall, 2007.
- Gottschaller, Pia; Le Blanc, Aleca (2017). Gottschaller, Pia; Le Blanc, Aleca; Gilbert, Zanna; Learner, Tom; Perchuk, Andrew (eds.). Making Art Concrete: Works from Argentina and Brazil in the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (Exhibition catalog). Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute and Getty Research Institute / Getty Publications. ISBN 978-1-606-06529-7. OCLC 982373712.Heese, Luisa for the Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg; Riese, Hans-Peter; Kunze, Franziska (2022). Konkrete Kunst in Europa nach 1945. Die Sammlung Peter C. Ruppert: Katalog für das Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg [Concrete Art in Europe after 1945. The Peter C. Ruppert Collection: Catalog for the Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg] (in German and English). Cologne: Wienand. ISBN 978-3868326086.Pérez-Barreiro, Gabriel; Borja-Villel, Manuel (2013). Concrete Invention: Colección Patricia Phelps De Cisneros: Reflections on Geometric Abstraction from Latin America and Its Legacy. Madrid: Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía/Turner. ISBN 978-8-415-42797-1. OCLC 828897697.References
- Washington State University/Dr. Michael Delahoyde; commentary on Concrete art
- Monolith on the Water—Max Bill's "Continuity" in a New Location; Deutsche Bank Art works Archived 2019-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
- The term is defined.
- The Kendall Art Center features three Cuban concrete abstract artists: Sandú Darié, Pedro de Oraá, and Loló Soldevilla.