All-over Mondrian

When Piet Mondrian wrote that “logic demands that art be the plastic expression of our whole being” in his definitive 1920 essay Neo-Plasticism: the General Principle of Plastic Equivalence, he probably didn’t foresee how literally that statement would be able to be translated onto design of the later half of the 20^th Century, especially regarding the sometimes materially literal “plastic expression” of his own work’s whole being. Mondrian certainly isn’t the only artist whose work has been quoted on consumer goods. What may be unique to Mondrian, however, is the longevity of these quotations and breadth of design fields that have utilized them.

From fashion and hair products, to stationary and cigarette lighters, to a bathroom completely outfitted in Mondrian-inspired products not just limited to the hand towels and floor mat, but even including the shower and toilet, all-over Mondrian displays these items alongside a recently acquired original Mondrian, the 1927 painting Composition in black and red. When surrounded with so many objects using his visual language as a marketing tool, will Mondrian’s painting blend in as just another consumer good, or will it stand out as something genuine amongst a pile of the kitsch, and, as perhaps in the case of the Mondrian inspired condom wrapper, the sometimes just bizarre?

Until 08 August 2010 at Museum für Angewandte Kunst, An der Rechtschule, COLOGNE 50667.  The museum is an enjoyable walk from our own New Yorker Hotel in Cologne, so if you need a place to hang out, take a look over here.

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Categories: Cologne, Art

Contributing writer: Melissa Frost