JACQUES LŒUILLE

Kupka - Pioneer of abstract art

Art history has primarily remembered Malevich, Kandinsky, and Mondrian as pioneers of abstract painting, often neglecting František Kupka (1871–1957). A native of Bohemia, Kupka was nonetheless the first artist to exhibit a non-figurative canvas as such, as early as 1912, thus paving the way for a fascinating body of work, full of radical breaks and groundbreaking insights. A fervent anarchist and satirical cartoonist for the dissenting press, he remained a maverick throughout his life, but his genius illuminated a significant portion of the avant-garde movements of the first half of the 20th century.