Calligraphy Rhapsody – Retrospective Exhibition of Georges Mathieu Co-Presented by
K11 Art Foundation and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau
Date: 19 May – 4 July 2021
Location: 605, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, 6F, K11 MUSEA
Co-presented by K11 Art Foundation and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau, Calligraphy Rhapsody – Retrospective Exhibition of Georges Mathieu presents the major pictorial evolutions of Mathieu’s oeuvre to the public with significant oil paintings by the French painter spanning the 1950s to 1990s loaned from important private collectors.
Curated by Catherine Kwai, Calligraphy Rhapsody begins with Mathieu’s early works which emphasise calligraphic gesture and speed extending into the paintings from the “cosmic shift”period starting from 1984. His potent intrinsic energy for boundless abstraction is exemplified in the exhibition by the six-metre-wide canvases that Mathieu specially created for his Grand Palais Retrospective in 1978. Marking the artist’s centenary in 2021, this exhibition celebrates Mathieu’s fierce and poetic expressivity as well as his bold visionary spirit while introducing this French pioneer of free abstraction to a new audience. A painter, philosopher, and pivotal instigator of Lyrical Abstraction, Georges Mathieu (1921 –2012) shifted away from figuration and pursued a gestural abstraction away from geometrical abstraction. In the late 1940s, Mathieu began curating exhibitions, cultivating a connection between the new School of Paris artists in post-war France and the Abstract Expressionists in New York. By the 1950s, he was organising performances where he would paint in front of audiences live, anticipating the Happenings of the ’60s. He also synthesised the spirit of Asian calligraphy with the abstract language, inspiring philosophical debate and pictorial revolution.
To complement the exhibition, KAF has curated a series of educational resources and experiences — both online and offline. Developed around the concepts of ‘think’ and ‘feel’, TÖÖF serves as a participatory experience for all ages, where visitors are encouraged by prompts to approach the artworks from different angles and actively respond to them in the exhibition. For school-aged children, a tailor-made activity kit inspired by the artist’s creative practice provides a variety of simple art-making exercises, inviting them to unleash their imagination and express their feelings through art and the creative process. Additionally, specially curated online resources, including scholarly and archival materials, seek to enrich public knowledge on the historical background and context of Georges Mathieu’s pioneering artistic practice while allowing visitors to learn beyond the works showcased in the exhibition.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of K11 Art Foundation and Comité Georges Mathieu / ADAGP, Paris – SACK, Seoul, 2021.