13 February 1920. At the invitation of Jozef Peeters, spiritual father of the Modern Art Circle, Theo van Doesburg, foreman of De Stijl, gave a legendary lecture in Antwerp: Classical, Baroque, Modern.
The lecture revealed that both avant-garde movements were beginning to harbour the belief that geometrically abstract art would be a gamechanger. An internationally oriented constructivism would transcend borders and create new communities. Thanks to “abstract forms and colours, entirely in the manner of art,” according to Van Doesburg, distinctions between art disciplines would also disappear.

The Antwerp variant - Peeters called it ‘community art’ - never acquired the iconic status of De Stijl. But just like the artists of De Stijl, the Antwerp variant played a meaningful role within the mainly European network of abstract art.

This dialogue exhibition in the Print Room is a collaboration with the Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam. Drawings, paintings, architectural designs, graphics and furniture by Theo van Doesburg, Cornelis van Eesteren, J.J.P. Oud, Vilmosz Huszár, Jozef Peeters, Jos Léonard and Huib Hoste highlight both the shared ideals and the differences in visual language between the two art movements.

Artists: Theo van Doesburg, Jozef Peeters, Cornelis van Eesteren, J.J.P. Oud, Vilmosz Huszár, Jos Léonard, Huib Hoste