TENSIONS CALMÉES, A MASTERPIECE OF ABSTRACTION

Wassily Kandinsky, Tensions calmées, 1937. Oil on canvas, 89.3 x 116.6 cm

Tensions calmées, a modern masterpiece from 1937 encapsulates Wassily Kandinsky’s extraordinary vision which continues to have a profound influence on generations of artists that have followed. No artist played a greater role in the development and emergence of abstraction than Wassily Kandinsky.

In 1964, Sotheby’s held a historic auction of 50 paintings by Kandinsky from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. This major work was among those in the landmark sale and is now returning to Sotheby’s for the first time in over half a century, having remained in the same family collection, unseen by the public, ever since.

Solomon R. Guggenheim, to whom this painting once belonged, was an avid admirer of Kandinsky, acquiring his first painting by the artist in 1929, and meeting him the following year at the Dessau Bauhaus. Thereafter, in the course of a friendship that was to last a lifetime, Guggenheim acquired no fewer than 150 works by the artist, displaying them initially in the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, which he opened in New York in 1939. They went on to form the core of the collection of his eponymous museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who shared Kandinsky’s belief in the spiritual quality of art, and whose extraordinary creation was in part inspired by Kandinsky’s works. Shining an illustrious spotlight on Kandinsky in America, while at the same time providing the funds Kandinsky needed to settle in Paris and power forward his career, Guggenheim also promoted his artist-friend with a series of exhibitions across the country, including the memorial exhibition organised after Kandinsky’s death in 1944 in which Tensions calmées was included.

Wassily Kandinsky, Tensions calmées, 1937. Oil on canvas, 89.3 x 116.6 cm
Wassily Kandinsky, Tensions calmées, 1937. Oil on canvas, 89.3 x 116.6 cm

As the father of abstraction, Kandinsky started a line that would define twentieth-century art through artists such as Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian, the Abstract Expressionists Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, and Gerhard Richter.

Painted in 1937, Tensions calmées illustrates an important chapter in the history of twentieth-century art and reveals Kandinsky at the height of his powers. The artist had broken new ground with a lyrical form of abstraction infused with musicality, on his discovery that colour – when disassociated from representational concerns – could become the principal subject of a painting.

Wassily Kandinsky, Tensions calmées, 1937. Oil on canvas, 89.3 x 116.6 cm

In 1933, Kandinsky moved to Paris and the complex abstraction compositions he painted in the city during the 1930s – Tensions calmées chief amongst them – are considered the culmination of his artistic ideals in which art aspires to the condition of music.

Taking his cue from musical composition, Kandinsky determined that every colour corresponded with a particular emotion or ‘sound’, writing in Concerning the Spiritual in Art: ‘Colour is the keyboard. The eye is the hammer. The soul is the piano, with its many strings.’ The imagery of Tensions calmées evokes the elegant clefs, notes and bars of sheet music whilst a curved arabesque reminiscent of a violin scroll emerges in the right of the composition. Yet the musicality of the painting is borne of the artist’s orchestration of the composition as a whole, rather than its individual parts, resulting in a symphonic majesty in which the many visual elements are brought together in harmony.

For the auction in 1964, the Guggenheim took great care in selecting the best examples of the artist’s work from a collection that comprised multiple masterpieces from the key periods of Kandinsky’s career. The sale was unique in offering most collectors their first opportunity to acquire a major painting by the artist – before this, the vast majority of his works could only be seen in museums in Russia, the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich and in the collection of the artist’s widow, Nina Kandinsky.

 

Tensions calmées will be travelling from Dubai to Hong Kong and Taipei for public exhibitions, and will star in Sotheby’s livestreamed Modern & Contemporary Evening Sale in London on 29 June this summer, when it will be offered with an estimate of $25-35 million (£18-25 million).

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

selections-arts-logo

SELECTIONS is a platform for the arts, focusing on the Arab World.

Selections editorial presents a quarterly print magazine and weekly online publication with high quality content on all subjects related to Art and Culture. Full of world-leading artworks, exquisite brand imagery, original creative illustrations and insightful written articles.
Selections Viewing Rooms presents carefully curated online art shows aiming not only to shed light on contemporary art executed by living artists, but also for viewers to buy contemporary fine art, prints & multiples, photography, street art and collectibles.
Discover the previous and current shows here.
Cultural Narratives foundation is an extensive collection that is travelling the world by leading established and emerging talents aiming to reflect the culture of the region in their works.

RANDOM READS

Manar Abu Dhabi Light Art Exhibition

The Manar Abu Dhabi light art exhibition has opened its doors to the public, showcasing a transformative array of light artworks across various locations in Abu Dhabi until January 30, 2024. This citywide exhibition, curated by Reem Fadda and Alia…

‘The Candle Project’ by House of Today

House of Today announces the debut of “The Candle Project,” a collaboration with 10 Lebanese designers, marking the first curated collection entirely crafted in Lebanon. This limited-edition series of illuminative works explores the intersection of Lebanese craftsmanship, design, and philanthropy.…

‘Judgement Time’ by Michelangelo Pistoletto and Galleria Continua at Burj Al Arab Dubai

  Galleria Continua proudly unveils “Judgement Time,” the concluding chapter of a project spanning the globe, honouring Michelangelo Pistoletto’s 90th year. This intercontinental venture showcases Pistoletto’s journey, spotlighting his evolution from the Arte Povera movement to a contemporary art luminary.…

11 Edition of Vantage Point Sharjah

The 11th edition of Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS), an annual photography exhibition hosted by the Sharjah Art Foundation, is set to return with a showcase challenging established conventions in photography. Running from October 14, 2023, to January 14, 2024, at…

The Custodian: Guarding Egypt’s Artistic Legacy with Dr. Ramzi Dalloul and the Dalloul Art Foundation with Dr. Hussam Rashwan

Rima Nasser: We Understand That You Possess A Substantial Collection Of Modern Egyptian Art. Could You Please Explain How Your Passion For Collecting And Preserving This Art Is Intertwined With Your Collaboration With Dr. Ramzi Dalloul And The Dalloul Art…

‘Terra Ephemera: A Visual Cartography of Resilience’ by Mariam Abbas at Mestaria Gallery Dubai

Emirati artist Mariam Abbas debuted “Terra Ephemera: A Visual Cartography of Resilience” during the first Alserkal Lates of the season on September 28th. The exhibition delves into the transient yet resilient facets of the Emirati environment and its inhabitants. Abbas…

december 2023

27may(may 27)09:0014jan(jan 14)09:00THE CASABLANCA ART SCHOOL

06jul(jul 6)18:0008dec(dec 8)21:00Untitled Abstractions

24aug(aug 24)09:0007jan(jan 7)09:00Arabesque