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.