Roger de La Fresnaye retrospective at Museo d'Arte di Mendrisio explores his unique cubism

The Museo d'Arte di Mendrisio in Switzerland presents a comprehensive retrospective of French painter Roger de La Fresnaye (1885–1925), curated by Barbara Paltenghi Malacrida with Francesca Bernasconi. The exhibition covers his entire creative arc, from academic beginnings to his final painting, highlighting his brief but dense career that coincided with the birth of historical avant-gardes. De La Fresnaye's style evolved gradually, fusing influences from the Nabis to a personal, never fully declared cubism that he called "relative." The show progresses through sections on Nabis influence, analytical-synthetic form, cubist landscapes and nudes, and a return to order that hybridized realism, surrealism, solemnity, parody, vitality, and disillusion. Notable are two works on the theme of July 14, which anticipate post-war synthetic innovations. The exhibition emphasizes the tactile, sensual quality of his painting, achieved through unexpected chromatic contrasts. Runs until March 4, 2024.