Montmartre Museum Showcases Pioneering Modernist Couple Adya and Otto van Rees

The Musée de Montmartre in Paris is presenting an exhibition titled "Adya & Otto van Rees. Au cœur des avant-gardes" from March 20 to September 13, 2026. This show brings to light the extensive yet little-known work of the Dutch artist couple Adya van Rees-Dutilh (1876-1959) and Otto van Rees (1884-1957). Featuring around one hundred paintings, drawings, and a few sculptures, the exhibition chronologically traces their artistic journey. The couple moved to Paris in 1904, settling in the Bateau-Lavoir and engaging with major avant-garde figures including Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Blaise Cendrars. Their work evolved through various styles such as Divisionism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cloisonnism, and Cubism, often focusing on portraits, landscapes, and the human figure. In 1915, while in Zurich, they actively participated in the emergence of Dada, with Otto's collages exhibited at Galerie Tanner. Tristan Tzara described their show as the foundational event of Dada. They were also among the 46 artists in the sole official exhibition of Cercle et Carré in April 1930. The exhibition highlights their strong personal and artistic bond, evidenced by reciprocal portraits. It notes an imbalance in recognition, attributing Adya's lesser-known status partly to the male-dominated art market of the era; she worked on textile projects for designer Paul Poiret. Their works are primarily held in museums and private collections in the Netherlands.