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De Stijl was founded in 1917 and was a group of painters, architects, and designers. A magazine by the same name was established in parallel with the group. The group’s typical language of form is geometric-abstract and very reduced; it admits to purism and functionality. Theo van Doesburg, a theoretician, painter and architect, was one of the founding members and the van Abbe Museum has a special relationship with him. In 1968, an exhibition was staged that explicitly illuminated van Doesburg’s work. For the first time, in addition to his painting, a focus was placed on his theoretical approaches and his visions of the future. This exhibition altered people’s perceptions of van Doesburg’s work, which up until that time had been overshadowed by the popularity of the painter, Piet Mondrian. The centenary celebration is now being used to revive van Doesburg’s work. At the centre of the exhibition is a model of Ciné-dancing, a cinema in Strassburg’s Aubette building which came about within the context of a conversion in 1927 and was designed by Theo van Doesburg. This model symbolised the seamless connection between painting and space, and gives an insight into van Doesburg’s architectural creativity.
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