Exhibition.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Paris was the most important art capital of the moment. French and international artists moved to the city, igniting the birth of new Avant-guard movements, that would dominate the following years. However, World War II caused the dispersion of various artists to other countries, like the United States, generating a debate over whether Paris would continue being the art capital or if New York would take its place.

“Paris 1940 – 1980. City in movement” shows that during this period, the French capital continued to be a haven for a significant number of artists, and an essential place for the creation of new styles.

Abstract expressionism created a cohesive identity in New York. Nevertheless, Paris persisted in living alongside a distinct array of visual languages, including abstraction, informalism or surrealism. This fostered a profound artistic diversity, highly fueled by foreign artists like those present in the show: Vasarely, Picasso, Miró, Poliakoff or Hartung.

The city of the Seine welcomed a diverse array of authors and became a prominent exhibition hub for those who didn’t officially reside there. Therefore, it revealed itself as an impossible place to encapsulate through a single artist or movement, as well as a space of inspiration, creativity, and liberty, without which the contemporary artistic landscape wouldn’t have flourished.