Mondrian and Photography: Picturing the Artist and his Work

Wietse Coppes & Leo Jansen

Hardcover | 24.13 x 3.81 x 27.31 cm | 368 pp

Hatje Cantz | 2023 | 9783775754002

The general public’s image of Mondrian is of a serious man in a suit and tie with a reserved, rather aloof look. It is the same group of some ten photographs that shaped this image over time, although there are around 400 known photographs of the artist and his studios that provide a far more balanced and livelier image of Mondrian. This gorgeous book is not a biography, but rather a visual and emotional reference work for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the world of this extraordinarily modern artist.

The studios in Amsterdam, Paris, and New York are works of art themselves, as fascinating as the guests in these rooms. There are snapshots showing his private life, taken during journeys or visits, photographs of vernissages and dinners as well as formal portraits that he uses to promote the image of a serious, uncompromising artist. Detailed captions and richly illustrated essays on the significance of photography in the context of Mondrian’s work make this book an extraordinary document of his time.

Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) was one of the pioneers of abstract art. Hailing from a strict Calvinist family, his early work was influenced by 19th century Dutch landscape painting but later became famous for his compositions of black lines and rectangular fields in primary colours.