THE HAGUE.- For the first time in history, the very last works by Piet Mondrian and Mark Rothko can be seen side by side. Two iconic pieces of art history have been brought together in the major Mark Rothko exhibition in the Gemeentemuseum The Hague. A unique opportunity to admire and compare the greatest masterpieces of the two leading first and second-generation pioneers of abstract art. The exhibition will not travel; it will only be on view in The Hague. Mondrian’s Victory Boogie Woogie, moreover, is never loaned to other museums. The exhibition is on show at the Gemeentemuseum The Hague from 20 September through 1 March 2015.

A blood-red canvas: Mark Rothko’s last Untitled

Rothko painted his final work ‘Untitled 1970’ shortly before taking his own life on 25 February 1970. It is flame-coloured, or blood-red. A striking choice of colour, as the artist had produced mainly dark and sombre paintings in the preceding period. The Dutch art historian and former director of the Rijksmuseum, Henk van Os, calls the painting a ‘surprise’. When studying in New York, Van Os regularly visited Rothko in his studio, but he never saw the red canvas at the time. There are now many different theories about the significance of the colour; some see it as pointing to his (presumably planned) suicide.

Piet Mondrian’s last ode to New York

Piet Mondrian was the first European abstract artist to set foot on American soil. He lived and worked in New York for part of his life, during the heyday of his abstract period. There he produced masterpieces like ‘Trafalgar Square’ and ‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’. The paintings made him a celebrity in the American art world and had a profound influence on artists worldwide. Mondrian died rather suddenly in 1944, at the age of 72, before he could finish ‘Victory Boogie Woogie’. The diamond-shaped canvas was covered in scraps of coloured paper and plastic, showing how Mondrian was experimenting with new accents and rhythms. The work is seen as a monument to New York, the city that exudes rhythm and unbridled vitality.

Two abstract artists in New York

Mondrian (from the Netherlands) and Rothko (from Russia) spent much of their career in New York. Although the two men never actually met, they did pursue similar paths towards abstract art. Mondrian was already a celebrity in the New York art world when Rothko started to paint. Although Rothko wasn’t pleased when an art critic described his works as ‘blurry Mondrians’, he was certainly influenced by Mondrian. Indeed, referring to the Dutch artist’s use of colour, Rothko went so far as to call Mondrian the most sensual artist he knew.

Mark Rothko and Piet Mondrian in The Hague

For the very first time, work by Mondrian is being hung next to work by Rothko. The Mark Rothko exhibition spotlights both the similarities and the differences in the artistic development of the two leading first and second-generation pioneers of abstract art. It also throws light on the differences between European and American abstract art, in particular in terms of format and composition. The Mondrian collection of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague is unique in the world, comprising almost 300 works.

The Mark Rothko exhibition runs from 20 September through 1 March 2015 in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.