Claude CAHUN<br/> <em>Untitled</em> 1930<br/> in <em>Aveux non avenus</em> 1930<br/> published by Éditions du Carrefour, Paris<br/> illustrated book: heliographs<br/> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br/> Shaw Research Library, acquired through the Friends of the Gallery Library endowment, 2017<br/> © the artist's estate
Letters from the Director

The avant-garde

With a burning desire to break away from the norm and forge ahead into a future of abstraction, perception and ideas, avant-garde artists have created some of the world’s most curious artworks.

The origins of the avant-garde art movement are recognised as being birthed in the early nineteenth century in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution. With global expansion and wealth came new horizons for the individual. Artists moved away from creating commissioned works to experimenting with representations of their own experiences, thoughts and desires. This new practice sparked major controversy and took on many forms and has since become synonymous with modern art. This week I share with you a selection of radically original works currently on display.

French artist Albert Gleizes’s 1916 painting Acrobats is one of the NGV Collection’s key works from the pioneer years of the avant-garde art movement in France. Gleizes was influential in the development of Cubism and abstract art and co-wrote the first major book on Cubism. This text was a major contribution to the wider acceptance of an art form that depicted objects and forms simultaneously and from many angles. In Acrobats we see multiple figures painted in motion which became a common motif for early Cubist and Dada artists. Gleizes indicates figures with shorthand symbols and linear gestures, reducing larger elements to vibrant shapes rendered in fields of contrasting colour. Works such as this marked a departure from traditional practices of rendering realness, by instead rendering the idea of something.

French artist Albert Gleizes’s 1916 painting Acrobats is one of the NGV Collection’s key works from the pioneer years of the avant-garde art movement in France. Gleizes was influential in the development of Cubism and abstract art and co-wrote the first major book on Cubism. This text was a major contribution to the wider acceptance of an art form that depicted objects and forms simultaneously and from many angles. In Acrobats we see multiple figures painted in motion which became a common motif for early Cubist and Dada artists. Gleizes indicates figures with shorthand symbols and linear gestures, reducing larger elements to vibrant shapes rendered in fields of contrasting colour. Works such as this marked a departure from traditional practices of rendering realness, by instead rendering the idea of something.

In Australia, Ralph Balson was another leading figure in the modernist movement. Balson’s 1941 work Painting no. 14 is a prime example of pure abstraction, an artform where the artist does not attempt to portray identifiable subjects. Here, geometric shapes, blocks of colour and overlapping elements all come together to form one of his earliest completely abstract works. Painting no. 14 was included in Balson’s 1941 solo exhibition in Sydney at Anthony Horderns’ Fine Art Gallery, which was the first exhibition of abstract art in Australia. Although comparatively unnoticed at the time, this exhibition is now considered a watershed in twentieth century Australian art history. His work reflects the influence of the twentieth century avant-garde movement, Constructivism, and the Bauhaus on the development of his own practice. I invite you to learn more about Abstract Art in this video from our Art Definitions series.

In Australia, Ralph Balson was another leading figure in the modernist movement. Balson’s 1941 work Painting no. 14 is a prime example of pure abstraction, an artform where the artist does not attempt to portray identifiable subjects. Here, geometric shapes, blocks of colour and overlapping elements all come together to form one of his earliest completely abstract works. Painting no. 14 was included in Balson’s 1941 solo exhibition in Sydney at Anthony Horderns’ Fine Art Gallery, which was the first exhibition of abstract art in Australia. Although comparatively unnoticed at the time, this exhibition is now considered a watershed in twentieth century Australian art history. His work reflects the influence of the twentieth century avant-garde movement, Constructivism, and the Bauhaus on the development of his own practice. I invite you to learn more about Abstract Art in this video from our Art Definitions series.

Also working outside of convention were two of the founding members of the Vienna Secession, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. Inspired by Charles Robert Ashbee’s Guild of Handicrafts, an association of craftsmen and designers established in 1888, Hoffmann and Moser established their own cooperative in 1903 named the ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ (Vienna Workshops). With direct access to craftsmen, the designers were able to bring their most creative visions to life without needing an intermediary. An incredibly experimental environment was born. The ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ became a testing ground for the further development of the so-called ‘modern’ Viennese style, including this Round Model cutlery collection designed in 1906. The simple, flat-handled cutlery is illustrative of the geometric formalism that Hoffmann engaged with during the early years of the ‘Wiener Werkstätte’. Its design was a radical departure from standard cutlery of the period and elicited both positive and negative reactions from the press. Some praised its rational simplicity of form, while others complained of its ‘clinical’ character which made the cutlery feel like ‘surgical instruments’. Although divisive at the time, the cutlery was produced until 1916, making it one of Hoffmann’s most successful designs.

Also working outside of convention were two of the founding members of the Vienna Secession, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. Inspired by Charles Robert Ashbee’s Guild of Handicrafts, an association of craftsmen and designers established in 1888, Hoffmann and Moser established their own cooperative in 1903 named the ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ (Vienna Workshops). With direct access to craftsmen, the designers were able to bring their most creative visions to life without needing an intermediary. An incredibly experimental environment was born. The ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ became a testing ground for the further development of the so-called ‘modern’ Viennese style, including this Round Model cutlery collection designed in 1906. The simple, flat-handled cutlery is illustrative of the geometric formalism that Hoffmann engaged with during the early years of the ‘Wiener Werkstätte’. Its design was a radical departure from standard cutlery of the period and elicited both positive and negative reactions from the press. Some praised its rational simplicity of form, while others complained of its ‘clinical’ character which made the cutlery feel like ‘surgical instruments’. Although divisive at the time, the cutlery was produced until 1916, making it one of Hoffmann’s most successful designs.

Pablo Picasso, alongside Georges Braque, founded Cubism, considered by many to be the ‘experiment’ that most radically transformed twentieth century art. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the 2022 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® exhibition developed in partnership with the Centre Pompidou and the Musée National Picasso-Paris: The Picasso Century. Opening on 10 June, this landmark exhibition will trace the career of one of the twentieth century’s most renowned artists, presenting over 80 works by Picasso alongside around 100 works by over 50 of the artists with whom he intersected throughout his life.

Yves Saint Laurent, an avant-garde designer in his own right, was fascinated by the work of Picasso, proclaiming ‘Picasso was a genius in its purest form, bursting with life and candour. Picasso was not about purity. He was baroque!’. The couturier paid tribute to the artist throughout his career, including in this red dress which was included in Saint Laurent’s 1979 collection, staged before the opening of a major Picasso exhibition at Paris’s Grand Palais. The collection honoured the work of costumes and sets Picasso made in collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev for the 1917 ballet Parade. Celestial stars littered the set’s backdrop and bold coloured swirls and diagonal lines wrapped around the costumes. Here we can see Saint Laurent interpret these elements onto this own inspired silhouette.

Pablo Picasso, alongside Georges Braque, founded Cubism, considered by many to be the ‘experiment’ that most radically transformed twentieth century art. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the 2022 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® exhibition developed in partnership with the Centre Pompidou and the Musée National Picasso-Paris: The Picasso Century. Opening on 10 June, this landmark exhibition will trace the career of one of the twentieth century’s most renowned artists, presenting over 80 works by Picasso alongside around 100 works by over 50 of the artists with whom he intersected throughout his life.

Yves Saint Laurent, an avant-garde designer in his own right, was fascinated by the work of Picasso, proclaiming ‘Picasso was a genius in its purest form, bursting with life and candour. Picasso was not about purity. He was baroque!’. The couturier paid tribute to the artist throughout his career, including in this red dress which was included in Saint Laurent’s 1979 collection, staged before the opening of a major Picasso exhibition at Paris’s Grand Palais. The collection honoured the work of costumes and sets Picasso made in collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev for the 1917 ballet Parade. Celestial stars littered the set’s backdrop and bold coloured swirls and diagonal lines wrapped around the costumes. Here we can see Saint Laurent interpret these elements onto this own inspired silhouette.

Rather than taking inspiration from other artists, French couturiere Madeleine Vionnet’s 1929 Evening dress is a love letter to the female form. She was likely bisexual, remarking ‘They always said I loved women too much!’ in an interview with Bruce Chatwin. Vionnet was a radical designer, breaking free of typical fashion frameworks to accentuate the curves of a woman’s body. Her works aimed to free women’s bodies from the clips and fastenings that previously restricted their movement, instead employing modern techniques including the bias cut. The construction of this dress exemplifies her design principles, featuring a fluid dress line that is unobscured by decoration. The cut takes advantage of the fabric’s shimmer, falling and softly draping across the body. The dress also features one of Vionnet’s greatest innovations, the cowl neck, which was inspired by her study of Greek statuary and Classical dress forms. See this work on display in the expansive exhibition QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection at NGV International.

Rather than taking inspiration from other artists, French couturiere Madeleine Vionnet’s 1929 Evening dress is a love letter to the female form. She was likely bisexual, remarking ‘They always said I loved women too much!’ in an interview with Bruce Chatwin. Vionnet was a radical designer, breaking free of typical fashion frameworks to accentuate the curves of a woman’s body. Her works aimed to free women’s bodies from the clips and fastenings that previously restricted their movement, instead employing modern techniques including the bias cut. The construction of this dress exemplifies her design principles, featuring a fluid dress line that is unobscured by decoration. The cut takes advantage of the fabric’s shimmer, falling and softly draping across the body. The dress also features one of Vionnet’s greatest innovations, the cowl neck, which was inspired by her study of Greek statuary and Classical dress forms. See this work on display in the expansive exhibition QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection at NGV International.

Dora Maar was a French photographer, poet and painter. After completing formal studies in applied arts and painting in Paris, she decided to pursue a career in photography, establishing a commercial studio in 1932, soon building her reputation as a portrait and fashion photographer. Maar also participated in the Surrealist movement and used the visual techniques associated with the New Vision in her extraordinarily creative, avant-garde images. This 1936 image was an advertising commission for the haircare brand Dolfar. Here Maar exploits the ‘perfect’ beauty of the model to create an image in which the woman appears as a classical statue that has metamorphosised into human form. Learn about Maar in Observations: Women in Art and Design History, and visit her works on display in The Picasso Century.

Dora Maar was a French photographer, poet and painter. After completing formal studies in applied arts and painting in Paris, she decided to pursue a career in photography, establishing a commercial studio in 1932, soon building her reputation as a portrait and fashion photographer. Maar also participated in the Surrealist movement and used the visual techniques associated with the New Vision in her extraordinarily creative, avant-garde images. This 1936 image was an advertising commission for the haircare brand Dolfar. Here Maar exploits the ‘perfect’ beauty of the model to create an image in which the woman appears as a classical statue that has metamorphosised into human form. Learn about Maar in Observations: Women in Art and Design History, and visit her works on display in The Picasso Century.

ringl+pit were the childhood nicknames of Grete Stern (ringl) and Ellen Auerbach (pit). Both women had studied photography with the Bauhaus instructor Walter Peterhans and in 1930, established a photography studio together in Berlin. With Germany’s advertising industry expanding in the inter-war period, the innovative and experimental photography of ringl+pit became highly sought after. Playing with perspective and form, their photographs reflect the influence of modernist ideals and the New Vision movement. This advertisement for the hair lotion Komol, is one of the pair’s best-known works from the period and was awarded first prize at the Deuxiême Exposition Internationale de la Photographie et du Cinéma in Brussels in 1933. In their characteristically avant-garde style, the pair created a studio photograph of a collage, showing a stylised double portrait silhouette of a woman, along with the dye lotion and advertising package laid out beneath a mesh overlay. The image is resolutely modern in its use of photography, and its engagement with the independent style of the New Woman.

ringl+pit were the childhood nicknames of Grete Stern (ringl) and Ellen Auerbach (pit). Both women had studied photography with the Bauhaus instructor Walter Peterhans and in 1930, established a photography studio together in Berlin. With Germany’s advertising industry expanding in the inter-war period, the innovative and experimental photography of ringl+pit became highly sought after. Playing with perspective and form, their photographs reflect the influence of modernist ideals and the New Vision movement. This advertisement for the hair lotion Komol, is one of the pair’s best-known works from the period and was awarded first prize at the Deuxiême Exposition Internationale de la Photographie et du Cinéma in Brussels in 1933. In their characteristically avant-garde style, the pair created a studio photograph of a collage, showing a stylised double portrait silhouette of a woman, along with the dye lotion and advertising package laid out beneath a mesh overlay. The image is resolutely modern in its use of photography, and its engagement with the independent style of the New Woman.

Another experimenter with collage was French artist, poet and publisher George Hugnet. While he was too young to be part of the early twentieth century European avant-garde Dada movement, his work is very much indebted to it. He met many of the key figures in the Parisian avant-garde circle including Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Man Ray. In 1936, Hugnet attempted to explain the impossible conundrum of an additional dimension to a six-sided die in his illustrated book of poetry La septième face du dé (The seventh face of the die). His typically surrealist idea was further explored through collages which accompanied the poems, including La seule nuit (The only night). Here a child stands with an octopus entangled in her clothing alongside a photo-collage of a mother and child who have collapsed and are in danger of being mauled by a predatory animal. By combining text with images cut from magazines and newspapers, unusual juxtapositions breed new meanings. The strange and unexpected was a central idea for many Dadaist and Surrealists, as we see Hugnet exploit this technique to subvert the norm.

Another experimenter with collage was French artist, poet and publisher George Hugnet. While he was too young to be part of the early twentieth century European avant-garde Dada movement, his work is very much indebted to it. He met many of the key figures in the Parisian avant-garde circle including Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Man Ray. In 1936, Hugnet attempted to explain the impossible conundrum of an additional dimension to a six-sided die in his illustrated book of poetry La septième face du dé (The seventh face of the die). His typically surrealist idea was further explored through collages which accompanied the poems, including La seule nuit (The only night). Here a child stands with an octopus entangled in her clothing alongside a photo-collage of a mother and child who have collapsed and are in danger of being mauled by a predatory animal. By combining text with images cut from magazines and newspapers, unusual juxtapositions breed new meanings. The strange and unexpected was a central idea for many Dadaist and Surrealists, as we see Hugnet exploit this technique to subvert the norm.

I hope you can visit the Gallery and discover these artworks as well as many more that reveal moments of profound creativity.

Tony Ellwood AM
Director, National Gallery of Victoria

I hope you can visit the Gallery and discover these artworks as well as many more that reveal moments of profound creativity.

Tony Ellwood AM
Director, National Gallery of Victoria

Image top of page:
Claude CAHUN Untitled 1930. Published by Éditions du Carrefour, Paris. Illustrated book: heliographs. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Shaw Research Library, acquired through the Friends of the Gallery Library endowment, 2017. © the artist’s estate