Marking the centenary of the visionary painter Georges Mathieu (1921-2012), this showcase is co-presented with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau.
Georges Mathieu was a true pioneer in multiple aspects: Against the tide of Geometrical Abstraction in post-war Paris, he was one of the first artists named as part of the Art Informel movement of gestural expression in art. He is considered the "father of Lyrical Abstraction", as his paintings in the 1940s began to give way to "total liberty to improvisation" in manners of all aesthetics. With his pursuit for speedy, improvised calligraphic gesture, he was a key instigator of performance art, sparking a new era of connection between the School of Paris artists and the emerging Abstract Expressionists in New York — for the first time, painting became pure spectacle.
© Comité Georges Mathieu / ADAGP, Paris - SACK, Seoul, 2021
This retrospective exhibition showcases 14 major paintings tracing 40 years from his early work in the 1950s to his later 'cosmic shift' period which started in 1984, as well as 3 large-scale paintings of 6-metre-wide canvases that were specially created for his major retrospective at the Grand Palais in 1978.
Watch the official event recap video on YouTube.
Online resources
Access and download online resources to learn beyond the works showcased in the exhibition.
Activity kit
Want to learn about the lesser known sides of Mathieu and his important works?
Visit our YouTube channel to watch
CoBo Social In Conversation With Édouard Lombard.
Special screening & guided tour
We will be starting the tour with a documentary screening, Georges Mathieu ou la fureur d'être (Georges Mathieu or the Fury of Being) - a rare documentation of Georges Mathieu's creative process that you would not want to miss. This is followed by an in-depth guided tour on the exhibition.
Lecture series
KAF x Christie's Education x The Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau | Georges Mathieu – Life, Lyricism, and Creativity