Mr. and Mrs. Herbert M. Rothschild

Explore Selected Works

Angular, geometric shapes in charcoal and smoke black, pewter and silver gray, white, pale pink, and coral orange pile up to form a rough pyramid shape that fills the height of this square, abstract painting. More fragmented shapes in cobalt, azure, and light blue fill the upper left and right corners to either side of the apex, and one triangular space on its middle left. The artist has inscribed, “LA PROCESSION SEVILLE” in black capital letters near the top right edge and “Picabia” in the lower right.
Francis Picabia, The Procession, Seville, 1912, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Fund and Gift of Barbara Rothschild Michaels from the Collection of Herbert and Nannette Rothschild, 1997, 1997.43.1

The Procession, Seville

Francis Picabia · 1912 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1997.43.1

This abstract, geometric painting has been tipped on one corner to create a diamond form rather than a square. The surface of the canvas is crisscrossed by an irregular grid of black lines running vertically and horizontally like offset ladders. The black lines create squares and rectangles of different sizes, and the width of the lines vary slightly. One complete square sits at the center of the composition and is painted white. Other rectangles are incomplete, their corners sliced by the edge of the canvas, and each is a different shade of white with hints of pale blue and gray. The black grid creates triangular forms where it meets the angled edge of the canvas in some places, and some of these are filled with flat areas of color. A tomato-red triangle is placed to the left of the top center point, and a vibrant yellow triangle is to the left of the lower center point. A black triangle is next to it at the bottom center, and a cobalt-blue triangle is situated just below the right point. The painting is signed with the artist’s initials at the lower center: “PM.”
Piet Mondrian, Tableau No. IV; Lozenge Composition with Red, Gray, Blue, Yellow, and Black, c. 1924/1925, oil on canvas, Gift of Herbert and Nannette Rothschild, 1971.51.1

Tableau No. IV; Lozenge Composition with Red, Gray, Blue, Yellow, and Black

Piet Mondrian · c. 1924/1925 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1971.51.1