Windmills, Foxtrot and Yves Saint-Laurent

Pivotal in modern art’s move towards abstraction, Piet Mondrian’s oeuvre is extraordinarily versatile and complex. Not only did he paint and draw, he also wrote extensively about his thoughts and theories on art and life. Moving from traditional Dutch landscape painting to a pronounced rhythmic framework focusing on compositional structure rather than naturalistic representation, Mondrian was profoundly impressed by contemporary culture. Thus, he was not only inspired by the pattern of the extensive Dutch canal system, but also by the rhythm of jazz and the foxtrot. Demonstrating the impact of his oeuvre, Yves Saint-Laurent's famous "Mondrian Dress" even made him a fashion icon posthumously.

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth, Ulf Küster entertainingly leads through well- and lesser-known aspects of Mondrian's life and work offering inspiring impulses for reflection and further engagement with the fascinating artist.

Piet Mondrian’s (1872–1944) early work was influenced by the Dutch landscape painting of the 19th century. However, it was his strictly abstract geometric compositions that gained the artist world fame. He worked in Paris, London and New York, where he was active in the avant-garde circles of his time.

The art historian Ulf Küster (*1966, Stuttgart) has been working at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen | Basel since 2004, where he curates internationally acclaimed exhibitions. He has written numerous publications, among them his text on Louise Bourgeois in the series Art to Read and Edward Hopper A-Z, published by Hatje Cantz.

Immerse yourself in a world of abstract equilibrium with 57 tiles inspired by the modernist master Piet Mondrian. Arrange the tiles to create table-top compositions of perfect balance, large or small.

Beautifully presented and with millions of possible arrangements, Make Your Own Mondrian will delight would-be modernists of all ages.

About the Author:

Henry Carroll studied photography at the Royal College of Art and his work has been exhibited worldwide. Building on his experience teaching aspiring photographers of all ages, Henry founded frui.co.uk, one of the UK’s leading providers of photography holidays and courses.

Part of a new series of beautiful gift art books this book focuses on Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Renowned especially for his style of painting that featured grids of black lines with blocks of primary colour, Mondrian was regarded as a true pioneer of abstract art. Featuring a fascinating introduction to Mondrian’s life and art, this stunning new book brings together a wide selection of his magnificent work.

Abstract pioneer. Harmonies in red, yellow, and blue

Less was more for Piet Mondrian. With his strictly limited pictorial elements — the colours red, yellow, and blue, black lines, white space — he sought a ‘universal harmony’ and created a whole new domain of avant-garde abstraction. This essential guide presents Mondrian's pioneering oeuvre, as well as his works of fashion and design, from White Stripes album covers to haute-couture dresses.

A key figure in the international avant-garde, Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) was at once an extraordinary painter and leading art theoretician whose influence resonates to this day. Coining the term “Neo-plasticism”, he pursued a style of painting composed only of primary colours against a grid of black vertical and horizontal lines and a white base background.

Mondrian’s vision was that this essential painting would help to achieve a society in which art as such has no place, but rather exists for the total realization of “beauty.” With stints in Amsterdam, Paris, London, and New York, Mondrian drew upon the modern metropolis and modern music, especially jazz, as points of inspiration. In 1917, he co-founded De Stijl, originally a publication, and subsequently a circle of practitioners, committed to a strictly geometrical art of horizontals and verticals.

With key works and succinct texts, this introductory book presents Mondrian's distinctive and pioneering oeuvre, an abiding inspiration for fashion, art, architecture, and design, from White Stripes album covers to Yves Saint Laurent dresses.

The author:

Susanne Deicher studied in Göttingen and Berlin, where she gained her doctorate in 1993 with a thesis on Piet Mondrian. Since 1997 she has been a professor of History of Art and Culture, Aesthetics, and Architectural and Design Theory at the University of Wismar.

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

The quest for "universal harmony"

Less is often more - such is Piet Mondrian’s approach to art. His main pictorial elements are horizontals and verticals, his preferred colours yellow, red and blue.

Throughout his life, Mondrian (1872-1944) applied these simple elements in his quest for "universal harmony". This publication in our Basic Art Series presents an extra-ordinary painter and art theoretician whose influence on architects and designers is as profound today as it ever was.

Посмотреть русскоязычное издание книги Mondrian - Мондриан

About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art Series features:

• a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
• a concise biography
• approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions