Hauser & Wirth London showcases Francis Picabia's five-decade career
Hauser & Wirth London presents 'Francis Picabia. Expanding Horizons', a survey spanning five decades of the artist's career, organized with the Comité Picabia. The exhibition includes over 50 works from early impressionist landscapes to Dada mechanomorphs, Transparencies, wartime nudes, and late abstract paintings. Highlights include 'Le Zèbre' (c. 1909-1933), a neo-impressionist coastal scene overlaid with a zebra line drawing; 'Genèses' (1930-1931), with layered figures from Romanesque and Renaissance sources; and 'Trèfle à une feuille' (1946-1948), a shield-like form described by Hauser & Wirth partner Sarah Allen as 'scary and powerful'. The show closes with 'Ilma's Paris Horizons' (1951), an ink work inscribed by Picabia's wife Olga Mohler. Picabia (1879-1953) moved through movements rapidly, often revisiting canvases and layering old works with new ideas. The exhibition runs from 21 May to 1 August 2026 at 23 Savile Row.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Francis Picabia. Expanding Horizons' at Hauser & Wirth London from 21 May to 1 August 2026
- Organized in collaboration with the Comité Picabia
- Spans five decades of Picabia's career, from 1902 to 1951
- Includes works from impressionism, Dada, Transparencies, wartime nudes, and late abstract paintings
- Highlights include 'Le Zèbre', 'Genèses', 'Trèfle à une feuille', and 'Ilma's Paris Horizons'
- Picabia often revisited and layered canvases across decades
- Sarah Allen, partner and head of research at Hauser & Wirth, co-organized the show
- Picabia died in 1953; his wife Olga Mohler sold works to cover burial costs
Entities
Artists
- Francis Picabia
- Gabrièle Buffet-Picabia
- Olga Mohler
- Viola Ilma
- Sarah Allen
Institutions
- Hauser & Wirth
- Comité Picabia
- Paris-Presse
Locations
- London
- Paris
- Côte d'Azur
- New York
- Zurich
- 23 Savile Row, London