Hanina Fine Arts Explores Post-War French Abstraction's Rival Factions

Hanina Fine Arts is presenting an exhibition that examines the emergence and rivalry of two opposing factions in post-war French abstraction. In 1946, Frédo Sidès established the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles to promote Geometric Abstraction, which was still struggling for mainstream acceptance. The salon brought together previous Art Concret and Abstraction Création members, including Albert Gleizes, Jean Arp, and Sonia Delaunay, alongside a new generation of artists such as André Bloc, Edgard Pillet, and Jean Deyrolle, who sought a rational and universal aesthetic. Concurrently, artists associated with the Surrealist group, including Camille Bryen and Henri Michaux, were experimenting with automatic writing, drawing, and painting. This technique, initially called Tachisme, emphasized expressive gestures and the subjective and irrational. In 1947, Bryen and Georges Mathieu organized events that further defined this gestural abstraction. The exhibition at Hanina Fine Arts highlights the tension between these geometric and lyrical approaches, showcasing works that reflect the broader cultural and philosophical debates of the era.