New Biography Reveals Piet Mondrian's Hidden Passions for Dance, Food, and Romance

A new biography of Piet Mondrian, 'Piet Mondraan: een nieuwe kunst voor een ongekend leven' by art historian Hans Jenssen, challenges the long-held image of the Dutch artist as an austere, spiritual recluse. Published in the Netherlands, the book uncovers Mondrian's worldly side: he was an excellent dancer, likely attended Josephine Baker's first Paris show in 1925, and was a passionate fan of the Charleston, threatening in a 1926 interview never to return to the Netherlands if the dance were banned. He loved jazz and wrote for De Stijl about Luigi Russolo's Intonarumori, crediting them with advancing abstract music. Mondrian also worked at Leiden University's scientific lab drawing bacteriological specimens, and after WWI worked as a waiter and farmhand while considering becoming a church minister. He enjoyed fine dining in Paris despite financial constraints and had a weakness for women, proposing to Lily Bles, daughter of poet Dop Bles, who refused him due to their age difference. The biography paints a portrait of a man who lived intensely, balancing routine, pleasure, and curiosity.