LaM Exhibition Reveals Kandinsky's Use of Images in Developing Abstract Art

The LaM (Lille Métropole Musée d'art moderne, d'art contemporain et d'art brut) in Villeneuve-d'Ascq is presenting the exhibition 'Kandinsky face aux images' until June 14. Organized in partnership with the Centre Georges Pompidou, the show explores how Wassily Kandinsky, considered a pioneer of abstraction, extensively used photographic and figurative images in his artistic development. Curators Jeanne-Bathilde Lacourt, Angela Lampe, and Hélène Trespeuch explain that the exhibition aims to correct a research blind spot by demonstrating Kandinsky's engagement with visual culture. The project draws on the artist's studio archive donated to the Centre Pompidou by his second wife Nina Kandinsky in 1981, which includes over 200 images from his teaching at the Bauhaus. Additional materials come from Munich's Lenbachhaus and the Gabriele Münter and Johannes Eichner Foundation. The exhibition reveals Kandinsky's eclectic image collection, ranging from nature and machines to illustrated press clippings, showing how these informed both his figurative and abstract works. Research indicates similar practices among other early abstract artists like Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian. The display also connects to LaM's identity through Kandinsky's interest in outsider art and spiritualism. Significant loans from Swiss and German institutions complement the presentation.