Piet MONDRIAN (1872-1944)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
Chronology : 1920-1929 1922 1927 1929 1930-1939 1930 1941 1942
Chronology : 1920-1929 1922 1927 1929 1930-1939 1930 1941 1942
Intro
Piet Mondrian: A Psychological Portrait Through Life and Art
Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan in the Netherlands, emerged as one of the pioneers of abstract art. His evolution from figurative landscapes to pure geometric abstraction reflects not only artistic innovation but also a profound personal quest for inner equilibrium, spiritual harmony, and transcendence over chaos.
Mondrian grew up in a strict Calvinist household, where discipline, moral rigor, and order were paramount. This upbringing instilled a lifelong sense of duty and restraint, shaping a personality often described as ascetic, methodical, and intensely dedicated. He remained unmarried, channeling his energy into art and philosophy. Yet, contrary to the stereotype of a reclusive monk-like figure, Mondrian enjoyed socializing, dancing (particularly boogie-woogie in his later years), and even bicycling in bad weather—revealing a lighter, more playful side beneath his serious demeanor.
Psychologically, Mondrian's early life under Calvinism likely fostered a need for control and purity amid internal conflicts. Around 1900, he experienced a religious crisis, leading him to abandon strict Protestantism for Theosophy in 1909. This esoteric philosophy, emphasizing spiritual evolution, universal harmony, and the underlying unity behind apparent chaos, became the cornerstone of his worldview. Mondrian drew heavily from Theosophical ideas, viewing art as a means to reveal the "pure representation of the human mind" and cosmic balance—horizontal lines representing feminine/passive forces, verticals masculine/active ones, resolved in equilibrium.
His art can be seen as a therapeutic projection: a rigorous pursuit of order to counter personal anxieties. Retrospective analyses suggest traits consistent with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies—evident in his compulsive refinement of compositions, dogmatic adherence to rules (e.g., no diagonals until late works), and belief that Neoplasticism could reform society. This reduction to primary colors, straight lines, and asymmetrical balance was not cold calculation but a spiritual devotion, aiming to transcend the "oppression" of naturalistic representation and achieve universal beauty.Mondrian's stylistic evolution mirrors this psychological journey:
Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan in the Netherlands, emerged as one of the pioneers of abstract art. His evolution from figurative landscapes to pure geometric abstraction reflects not only artistic innovation but also a profound personal quest for inner equilibrium, spiritual harmony, and transcendence over chaos.
Mondrian grew up in a strict Calvinist household, where discipline, moral rigor, and order were paramount. This upbringing instilled a lifelong sense of duty and restraint, shaping a personality often described as ascetic, methodical, and intensely dedicated. He remained unmarried, channeling his energy into art and philosophy. Yet, contrary to the stereotype of a reclusive monk-like figure, Mondrian enjoyed socializing, dancing (particularly boogie-woogie in his later years), and even bicycling in bad weather—revealing a lighter, more playful side beneath his serious demeanor.
Psychologically, Mondrian's early life under Calvinism likely fostered a need for control and purity amid internal conflicts. Around 1900, he experienced a religious crisis, leading him to abandon strict Protestantism for Theosophy in 1909. This esoteric philosophy, emphasizing spiritual evolution, universal harmony, and the underlying unity behind apparent chaos, became the cornerstone of his worldview. Mondrian drew heavily from Theosophical ideas, viewing art as a means to reveal the "pure representation of the human mind" and cosmic balance—horizontal lines representing feminine/passive forces, verticals masculine/active ones, resolved in equilibrium.
His art can be seen as a therapeutic projection: a rigorous pursuit of order to counter personal anxieties. Retrospective analyses suggest traits consistent with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies—evident in his compulsive refinement of compositions, dogmatic adherence to rules (e.g., no diagonals until late works), and belief that Neoplasticism could reform society. This reduction to primary colors, straight lines, and asymmetrical balance was not cold calculation but a spiritual devotion, aiming to transcend the "oppression" of naturalistic representation and achieve universal beauty.Mondrian's stylistic evolution mirrors this psychological journey:
- Early Figurative Period (1890s–1910s): Influenced by Dutch landscapes and Post-Impressionism, works like tree studies reflect a grounded, observational approach, rooted in his family's artistic encouragement but still tied to visible reality.
- Transitional Abstraction (1910s): Exposure to Cubism in Paris and deepening Theosophy prompted fragmentation and spiritual symbolism, dissolving forms into geometric essences.
- Mature Neoplasticism (1920s–1930s): Founding De Stijl with Theo van Doesburg, Mondrian restricted his vocabulary to horizontals/verticals, primaries, and non-colors, seeking "dynamic equilibrium." Works like Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow embody psychological resolution: tension balanced in purity.
- Late Period in New York (1940s): Energized by jazz and urban rhythm, his final works like Broadway Boogie-Woogie introduce pulsating color blocks and implied movement—a joyful release, softening his rigidity while retaining core principles.
1922 Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue
2025 SOLD for $ 48M by Christie's
Without desiring it, Piet Mondrian is a distant successor to the Iconoclasts. This mystic finds inspiration in theosophy. The artist can express the mystery of the world by abandoning completely the figuration.
Unlike Miro, Mondrian does not invite the viewer to interpret. He seeks his own way, which is as unresolved and endless as that of Kafka's surveyor.
Malevich had understood that the quintessence of art is pure white. Mondrian adds strictly horizontal and vertical thick black lines. Their conjunction can generate an interrupt, but the strictly orthogonal angles attract no fantasy.
The world is not made up of black and white but of colors. The three basic pure colors are enough to announce all its diversity. Red, yellow and blue each one fills a dedicated area bounded by the black lines.
After joining van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian is the theoretician and soon the leader of the Neo-Plasticism, linked with the De Stijl movement. In the wake of Malevich's Suprematism, he starts a quest for purity through a total abstraction.
Mondrian's abstract style, rigorous and thorough, is repetitive, even though the position of horizontal and vertical lines and of colored boxes is always different. The inevitable edge of the canvas disrupts the will of the artist to reach infinity. He also experiments a lozenge position of the canvas.
A Composition with Large red plane, Bluish gray, Yellow, Black and Blue, oil on canvas 54 x 53 m painted by Mondrian in Paris in 1922, has some specific features. The central squared plane, connected to the edges by the rest of the the structure, is a very large mesmerizing red. White is not used, superseded by a light bluish gray. The two vertical bars terminate at a same height just shy of the upper edge.
It was sold for $ 48M by Christie's on May 12, 2025, lot 13A.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 13
Next, Piet Mondrian's 'Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue' achieves US$47,560,000 during Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works.
Unlike Miro, Mondrian does not invite the viewer to interpret. He seeks his own way, which is as unresolved and endless as that of Kafka's surveyor.
Malevich had understood that the quintessence of art is pure white. Mondrian adds strictly horizontal and vertical thick black lines. Their conjunction can generate an interrupt, but the strictly orthogonal angles attract no fantasy.
The world is not made up of black and white but of colors. The three basic pure colors are enough to announce all its diversity. Red, yellow and blue each one fills a dedicated area bounded by the black lines.
After joining van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian is the theoretician and soon the leader of the Neo-Plasticism, linked with the De Stijl movement. In the wake of Malevich's Suprematism, he starts a quest for purity through a total abstraction.
Mondrian's abstract style, rigorous and thorough, is repetitive, even though the position of horizontal and vertical lines and of colored boxes is always different. The inevitable edge of the canvas disrupts the will of the artist to reach infinity. He also experiments a lozenge position of the canvas.
A Composition with Large red plane, Bluish gray, Yellow, Black and Blue, oil on canvas 54 x 53 m painted by Mondrian in Paris in 1922, has some specific features. The central squared plane, connected to the edges by the rest of the the structure, is a very large mesmerizing red. White is not used, superseded by a light bluish gray. The two vertical bars terminate at a same height just shy of the upper edge.
It was sold for $ 48M by Christie's on May 12, 2025, lot 13A.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 13
Next, Piet Mondrian's 'Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue' achieves US$47,560,000 during Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works.
- The painting "Composition with Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Gray, and Blue" by Piet Mondrian, sold for $47.56 million at Christie's on May 12, 2025, reflects the artist's pioneering role in De Stijl, a movement emphasizing geometric abstraction, which a 2018 study in the Journal of Art History linked to early 20th-century industrial rhythms influencing art.
- This sale, part of the Leonard & Louise Riggio collection, highlights a growing market trend where modernist works fetched $1.2 billion globally in 2025 per Artsy's Art Market Trends report, challenging the narrative that contemporary art overshadows historical pieces.
- The artwork's asymmetrical design and bold color blocks, created in 1921, were inspired by Mondrian's response to urban expansion, a perspective validated by his letters archived at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, showing his intent to mirror societal change.
Next, Piet Mondrian's 'Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue' achieves US$47,560,000 during Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works. pic.twitter.com/jQ0D9PLJb5
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 12, 2025
1922 Composition avec Bleu, Rouge, Jaune et Noir
2009 SOLD for € 21.6M by Christie's
The Mondrian painting from the Saint-Laurent collection, an oil on canvas 80 x 50 cm painted in 1922, is a simple composition on a grey background. The space is divided into four parts : the top has three boxes including a blue one and a very thin red stripe, a narrow stripe on the right goes down in two boxes in turn yellow and black, two cases in the lower left repeat the pattern of the top, and a wide empty box holds the dominant center of the canvas to the left edge.
It was sold for € 21.6M from a lower estimate of € 8M on February 23, 2009 by Christie's in cooperation with Pierre Bergé et Associés, lot 42.
It was sold for € 21.6M from a lower estimate of € 8M on February 23, 2009 by Christie's in cooperation with Pierre Bergé et Associés, lot 42.
1927 Composition in Red, Blue and Grey
2014 SOLD for £ 15.2M by Sotheby's
After joining van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian is the theoretician and soon the leader of the Neo-Plasticism, linked with the De Stijl movement. On the wake of Malevich's Suprematism, he starts a quest for purity through a total abstraction.
Only two or three rectangles are filled with pure colors, but their presence near the edge, already in place in 1922, now takes the major role by creating the illusion that they are the starting point of an unlimited area. Therefore the overall size of the canvas is not significant. It again becomes rectangular.
Three basic rules are published by Mondrian in 1926. The figure is only made of horizontal and vertical straight lines, with no curve and no oblique. In addition to the non-colors which are grey, black and white, only three pure colors are used : blue, red and yellow, in flat separated areas, never mingled. The composition must be balanced with no symmetry.
In his studio in Montparnasse, Mondrian manages to apply his own rules. His final goal is to define a new style of interior decoration, including furnishings, suited to modern conditions of life.
The path is narrow between art and a mere decoration. Also in 1926, Mondrian observes that his compositions have been too complex and must be reduced.
Komposition II with Red, oil on canvas 50 x 51 cm, is only featuring four lines and one color, in an area limited by a light grey line. This opus was sold for $ 9.3M by Christie's on May 11, 2015, lot 11 A.
One of the vertical lines is adjacent to the right edge and interrupted. The single red fills an evanescent area in the bottom left corner, between the lower horizontal and the lower edge. The non-color is white. The escape to infinity is provided by the upper right white block and the very narrow blocks below the lower horizontal line.
In 1927 a come back by Mondrian to two or three of his basic colors is necessary. The surfaces are again placed within an outer rectangular light grey line, meaning that the border areas are designed for achieving the balance and not to offer an escape to the outside world.
Composition with Red, Blue and Grey excludes the yellow and the white. This blue has a single narrow area at the same place as the red in the 1926 example above. This oil on canvas 68 x 53 cm was sold for £ 15.2M by Sotheby's on June 23, 2014, lot 14. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Only two or three rectangles are filled with pure colors, but their presence near the edge, already in place in 1922, now takes the major role by creating the illusion that they are the starting point of an unlimited area. Therefore the overall size of the canvas is not significant. It again becomes rectangular.
Three basic rules are published by Mondrian in 1926. The figure is only made of horizontal and vertical straight lines, with no curve and no oblique. In addition to the non-colors which are grey, black and white, only three pure colors are used : blue, red and yellow, in flat separated areas, never mingled. The composition must be balanced with no symmetry.
In his studio in Montparnasse, Mondrian manages to apply his own rules. His final goal is to define a new style of interior decoration, including furnishings, suited to modern conditions of life.
The path is narrow between art and a mere decoration. Also in 1926, Mondrian observes that his compositions have been too complex and must be reduced.
Komposition II with Red, oil on canvas 50 x 51 cm, is only featuring four lines and one color, in an area limited by a light grey line. This opus was sold for $ 9.3M by Christie's on May 11, 2015, lot 11 A.
One of the vertical lines is adjacent to the right edge and interrupted. The single red fills an evanescent area in the bottom left corner, between the lower horizontal and the lower edge. The non-color is white. The escape to infinity is provided by the upper right white block and the very narrow blocks below the lower horizontal line.
In 1927 a come back by Mondrian to two or three of his basic colors is necessary. The surfaces are again placed within an outer rectangular light grey line, meaning that the border areas are designed for achieving the balance and not to offer an escape to the outside world.
Composition with Red, Blue and Grey excludes the yellow and the white. This blue has a single narrow area at the same place as the red in the 1926 example above. This oil on canvas 68 x 53 cm was sold for £ 15.2M by Sotheby's on June 23, 2014, lot 14. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1927
2013 SOLD for £ 9.3M by Sotheby's
White background responds better than gray to Mondrian's quest for purity. Painted in 1927, a small composition with three colors 38 x 35 cm was sold for £ 9.3M by Sotheby's on June 19, 2013.
Of same size, yellow and red are on the left of the same vertical. The violent and haunting red escapes by two sides, top and left. The lower line prevents the yellow to reach the bottom edge but allows the intrusion of the long blue stripe. Twenty years before Pollock, the impressions offered in Mondrian's art have already no limitations.
Of same size, yellow and red are on the left of the same vertical. The violent and haunting red escapes by two sides, top and left. The lower line prevents the yellow to reach the bottom edge but allows the intrusion of the long blue stripe. Twenty years before Pollock, the impressions offered in Mondrian's art have already no limitations.
1927 Composition with Yellow, Red and Blue
2021 SOLD for $ 26M by Christie"s
Mondrian's Composition with Yellow, Red and Blue, No. II from the 1927 nomenclature, displays the three basic Mondrian colors, each one in a single flat area. The single vertical black line is not exactly centered, so imperceptibly meeting the basic non-symmetry rule of the artist. The blue at the bottom left is extremely narrow. The other areas are white.
That No. II, oil on canvas 50 x 35 cm, was sold for $ 26M by Christie's on May 13, 2021, lot 19 B.
In period it was indeed not the sort of work that the public considered as art. After a one-day solo exhibition of 18 paintings in Paris, Mondrian was shocked to retrieve his canvases including No. II being prepared for the laundry by the local staff. He was able to repaint them within one month.
The simplification achieved by Mondrian in that phase inspired Calder, Perriand and Saint Laurent.
That No. II, oil on canvas 50 x 35 cm, was sold for $ 26M by Christie's on May 13, 2021, lot 19 B.
In period it was indeed not the sort of work that the public considered as art. After a one-day solo exhibition of 18 paintings in Paris, Mondrian was shocked to retrieve his canvases including No. II being prepared for the laundry by the local staff. He was able to repaint them within one month.
The simplification achieved by Mondrian in that phase inspired Calder, Perriand and Saint Laurent.
Piet Mondrian's 'Composition: No II, With Yellow, Red and Blue' will highlight our 20th Century Evening Sale in NY.
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) April 9, 2021
Painted in 1927, the painting encapsulates the purity, elegance, and extreme rigor of the Dutch painter's unique aesthetic. pic.twitter.com/GmhZC3UFk4
1929 Composition III
2015 SOLD for $ 51M by Christie's
On a small canvas, Piet Mondrian looks for the absolute balance by drawing strictly horizontal and vertical lines which are interrupted or not when meeting. They form squares or rectangles of which some of them may seem dominant. Basically formed of non-colors, these subspaces lose their respective imbalances when some are filled with pure colors.
In 1929, the artist manages to simplify this structure to the extreme without however reaching the ultimate outcome of the squares by Malevich. Only one vertical and one horizontal lines go from edge to edge, dividing the canvas into four nearly equal areas. The broken lines complement a square over the bottom right with divided stripes on their edges.
Composition No. III with red, blue, yellow and black, 50 x 50 cm is a prototype and perhaps the most outstanding painting using this new geometry. The deep red on the top left distracts the attention away from the non-colored central square. The other two colors along with the black and a non-color fill the narrow stripes on the bottom right of the figure.
Mondrian is happy. He presents this painting to Michel Seuphor, who is one of the first critics to actively support this new conception of abstract art, and reuses this effective geometry with other color schemes.
This Composition was sold for $ 51M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on May 14, 2015, lot 6C.
In 1929, the artist manages to simplify this structure to the extreme without however reaching the ultimate outcome of the squares by Malevich. Only one vertical and one horizontal lines go from edge to edge, dividing the canvas into four nearly equal areas. The broken lines complement a square over the bottom right with divided stripes on their edges.
Composition No. III with red, blue, yellow and black, 50 x 50 cm is a prototype and perhaps the most outstanding painting using this new geometry. The deep red on the top left distracts the attention away from the non-colored central square. The other two colors along with the black and a non-color fill the narrow stripes on the bottom right of the figure.
Mondrian is happy. He presents this painting to Michel Seuphor, who is one of the first critics to actively support this new conception of abstract art, and reuses this effective geometry with other color schemes.
This Composition was sold for $ 51M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on May 14, 2015, lot 6C.
A #newworldrecord set for #PietMondrian @ChristiesInc as 'Composition III' sells for $50,565,000 pic.twitter.com/G3PTht6pTl
— Art Observed (@ArtObserved) May 14, 20151930 Composition en Rouge, Bleu et Jaune
2022 SOLD for $ 51M by Sotheby's
On November 14, 2022, Sotheby's sold for $ 51M a Composition en rouge, bleu et jaune 51 x 51 cm painted in 1930 by Mondrian, lot 105. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where Bridget Riley narrates the influence of Mondrian on her own art.
This image is asymmetrically divided by a horizontal and a vertical end to end lines. A dominant bright red fills the upper right as a square while the other three quadrants are narrower for the escape to infinity. There is no black border on the canvas but it is mounted in a light grey artist's frame.
The smaller quadrant on the opposite side of the red is an escaping vivid blue. The upper left and lower right areas are split by a horizontal line twice thicker than the other lines, a departure of that year from Mondrian's austere rules. The lower right is on its turn split in two by a vertical line to display an escaping bright yellow corner.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 15, 2022
#AuctionUpdate: The iconic ‘Composition No. II’ by Piet Mondrian has set the artist’s new record, achieving an astounding $51 million. #SothebysModern
This image is asymmetrically divided by a horizontal and a vertical end to end lines. A dominant bright red fills the upper right as a square while the other three quadrants are narrower for the escape to infinity. There is no black border on the canvas but it is mounted in a light grey artist's frame.
The smaller quadrant on the opposite side of the red is an escaping vivid blue. The upper left and lower right areas are split by a horizontal line twice thicker than the other lines, a departure of that year from Mondrian's austere rules. The lower right is on its turn split in two by a vertical line to display an escaping bright yellow corner.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 15, 2022
#AuctionUpdate: The iconic ‘Composition No. II’ by Piet Mondrian has set the artist’s new record, achieving an astounding $51 million. #SothebysModern
- Sotheby's post celebrates the November 2022 sale of Piet Mondrian's 1930 "Composition No. II" for $51 million, surpassing the artist's prior $50.6 million record and exemplifying his De Stijl geometric abstraction.
- Created during Mondrian's Paris years, the oil-on-canvas features his signature primary colors and grids, symbolizing universal harmony; it fetched this price from a European collector at Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction.
- As of October 2025, the record holds despite a $47.6 million Mondrian sale at Christie's earlier this year, while replies reveal public amusement over its "simple" appearance versus multimillion-dollar value.
Piet Mondrian's Composition No. II from 1930 is coming to @Sothebys in Nov with a $50m estimate. This matches the selling price of similar but slightly smaller work sold 7 years ago. pic.twitter.com/B2e0hqj45s
— LiveArt (@artmarket) October 6, 2022
1930 Composition No. II with Blue and Yellow
2014 SOLD for £ 12.4M by Christie's
Mondrian's quest is mystical. The colors are reduced to blue, yellow or red in a purity without shade, painted with high care to ensure the removal of any inhomogeneity.
By studying the parallel lines, Euclid invited to consider the infinite through a figure executed on a small surface. In 1930 it becomes clear that Mondrian endeavours to implement a similar vision in art : the pattern of strictly horizontal and vertical lines is important, color is secondary.
An oil on canvas was sold for £ 12.4M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Christie's on February 4, 2014.
At that time, two colors are now sufficient on the condition that they appear at opposite corners of the canvas. The lowest line is very close to the edge, opening a mysterious area. Under such conditions, a small picture is sufficient to express rhe deletion of the limits : this square canvas is only 50 x 50 cm. In the same format, a Composition executed in the previous year was sold for $ 51M by Christie's in 2015.
There is no fantasy in an abstract painting by Mondrian. The thicker horizontal line at the top of the yellow zone is so short on the canvas that it is indeed the visible part of an endless journey.
This painting is just one element in a series of different colors, put in a comparable manner on a similar pattern. In another artwork, yellow and blue are reversed compared with the painting that comes for sale.
In a less dogmatic way than Malevich, Mondrian also eliminates any emotional value of color. The only impression that remains is infinity.
By studying the parallel lines, Euclid invited to consider the infinite through a figure executed on a small surface. In 1930 it becomes clear that Mondrian endeavours to implement a similar vision in art : the pattern of strictly horizontal and vertical lines is important, color is secondary.
An oil on canvas was sold for £ 12.4M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Christie's on February 4, 2014.
At that time, two colors are now sufficient on the condition that they appear at opposite corners of the canvas. The lowest line is very close to the edge, opening a mysterious area. Under such conditions, a small picture is sufficient to express rhe deletion of the limits : this square canvas is only 50 x 50 cm. In the same format, a Composition executed in the previous year was sold for $ 51M by Christie's in 2015.
There is no fantasy in an abstract painting by Mondrian. The thicker horizontal line at the top of the yellow zone is so short on the canvas that it is indeed the visible part of an endless journey.
This painting is just one element in a series of different colors, put in a comparable manner on a similar pattern. In another artwork, yellow and blue are reversed compared with the painting that comes for sale.
In a less dogmatic way than Malevich, Mondrian also eliminates any emotional value of color. The only impression that remains is infinity.
1939-1941 Transatlantic Painting
2025 SOLD for $ 23M by Christie's
Composition in Red and Blue was painted by Mondrian in 1939 and exhibited in that year on the Galerie Charpentier in Paris. It was improved by the artist in New York in 1941, which explains the name Transatlantic attributed to a series of works with a similar history.
This oil on canvas 43.5 x 33 cm was sold for $ 23M by Christie's on November 17, 2025, lot 14A.
Asking Grok to describe Mondrian's series of so-called Transatlantic paintings by focusing on that example.
Grok thought :
Piet Mondrian's Transatlantic paintings refer to a series of 17 abstract works that he began in Europe—primarily in Paris and London—between 1935 and 1940, before fleeing the escalating dangers of World War II. He brought these unfinished or previously exhibited canvases with him when he emigrated to New York in October 1940, where he revisited and revised them over the next few years until his death in 1944. These paintings are characterized by Mondrian's signature neoplastic style: asymmetrical grids of black lines intersecting at right angles, dividing the canvas into rectangles filled with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) alongside white, black, and gray. The revisions made in America often introduced greater dynamism and complexity, reflecting the influence of New York City's urban energy, jazz music, and bustling rhythm on his evolving aesthetic. This series is significant for illustrating Mondrian's adaptive process, blending his rigid European formalism with a looser, more vibrant American phase, and has been the subject of extensive technical analysis revealing layers of changes through X-rays and other methods.
A prime example from this series is Composition with Red and Blue (also titled Composition of Red, Blue and White in some references), which is lot 14A in Christie's upcoming auction of The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis, scheduled for November 17, 2025, in New York, with an estimate of $20 million to $30 million. This oil on canvas measures 17 1/8 x 13 inches (43.5 x 33 cm) and is signed with Mondrian's initials "PM 39-41" in the lower center, indicating it was started in Paris in 1939 and completed in New York in 1941. The work features a compact, asymmetrical composition of intersecting black lines forming a grid that encloses planes of vivid red and blue against white space, embodying Mondrian's pursuit of universal harmony through abstraction. It exists in documented "states": the first state was exhibited in Paris at Galerie Charpentier in 1939 as part of Réalités nouvelles: L'art inobjectif depuis 1910, while the final state reflects revisions made after Mondrian's transatlantic journey, such as adjustments to lines and color balances for enhanced equilibrium and rhythm.
Critically, it is highlighted in Harry Cooper and Ron Spronk's 2001 study Mondrian: The Transatlantic Paintings as the first entry in the series (no. 1), with analysis of its layered revisions revealing Mondrian's meticulous process of overpainting and refinement to achieve a sense of "dynamic equilibrium." This piece exemplifies how the Transatlantic works bridge Mondrian's pre-war European restraint with the invigorated pulse of his New York period, making it a key artifact in understanding his late career evolution.
This oil on canvas 43.5 x 33 cm was sold for $ 23M by Christie's on November 17, 2025, lot 14A.
Asking Grok to describe Mondrian's series of so-called Transatlantic paintings by focusing on that example.
Grok thought :
Piet Mondrian's Transatlantic paintings refer to a series of 17 abstract works that he began in Europe—primarily in Paris and London—between 1935 and 1940, before fleeing the escalating dangers of World War II. He brought these unfinished or previously exhibited canvases with him when he emigrated to New York in October 1940, where he revisited and revised them over the next few years until his death in 1944. These paintings are characterized by Mondrian's signature neoplastic style: asymmetrical grids of black lines intersecting at right angles, dividing the canvas into rectangles filled with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) alongside white, black, and gray. The revisions made in America often introduced greater dynamism and complexity, reflecting the influence of New York City's urban energy, jazz music, and bustling rhythm on his evolving aesthetic. This series is significant for illustrating Mondrian's adaptive process, blending his rigid European formalism with a looser, more vibrant American phase, and has been the subject of extensive technical analysis revealing layers of changes through X-rays and other methods.
A prime example from this series is Composition with Red and Blue (also titled Composition of Red, Blue and White in some references), which is lot 14A in Christie's upcoming auction of The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis, scheduled for November 17, 2025, in New York, with an estimate of $20 million to $30 million. This oil on canvas measures 17 1/8 x 13 inches (43.5 x 33 cm) and is signed with Mondrian's initials "PM 39-41" in the lower center, indicating it was started in Paris in 1939 and completed in New York in 1941. The work features a compact, asymmetrical composition of intersecting black lines forming a grid that encloses planes of vivid red and blue against white space, embodying Mondrian's pursuit of universal harmony through abstraction. It exists in documented "states": the first state was exhibited in Paris at Galerie Charpentier in 1939 as part of Réalités nouvelles: L'art inobjectif depuis 1910, while the final state reflects revisions made after Mondrian's transatlantic journey, such as adjustments to lines and color balances for enhanced equilibrium and rhythm.
Critically, it is highlighted in Harry Cooper and Ron Spronk's 2001 study Mondrian: The Transatlantic Paintings as the first entry in the series (no. 1), with analysis of its layered revisions revealing Mondrian's meticulous process of overpainting and refinement to achieve a sense of "dynamic equilibrium." This piece exemplifies how the Transatlantic works bridge Mondrian's pre-war European restraint with the invigorated pulse of his New York period, making it a key artifact in understanding his late career evolution.
Piet Mondrian’s ‘Composition with Red and Blue’ from the Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis achieves USD $23,060,000 in tonight’s 20th Century Evening Sale.
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) November 18, 2025
Follow along: https://t.co/wEDpSFNaaX pic.twitter.com/GsCnp4pl7h
1941-1942 Boogie Woogie
2004 SOLD for $ 21M by Sotheby's
Fleeing the rise of fascism, Piet Mondrian left Paris for London in 1938 and moved to Manhattan in 1940. He was fascinated by the geometry of streets and skyscrapers and by jazz clubs. He had always loved popular dances, especially the charleston.
During this last period of his life, he worked on six new canvases, which he tirelessly modified in his search for the perfect rhythm and the balance of colors. Three of these works remained unfinished.
The first opus, in 1941, is titled New York. This oil on canvas 95 x 92 cm composed of black verticals and horizontals is not dynamic enough and does not interest anyone. The artist understands that the cause of this failure is the large empty square in the center of the canvas. He completes it in 1942 by adding three red lines as well as a few colored punctuations along the edges which are his first expression of the city's neon lights.
This transformation deserves a new title. The work becomes Boogie Woogie by reference to this style of jazz in which the pianist punctuates with one hand the main rhythm brought by the other hand. This New York Boogie Woogie was sold for $ 21M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2004, lot 7.
Mondrian's last two works, Broadway Boogie Woogie completed in 1943 and the unfinished Victory Boogie Woogie, energize his style by integrating small squares of color into his unlimited lines. His sudden death from pneumonia in February 1944 put an end to this short phase of intense musicality which paved the way for Action painting and Op art.
During this last period of his life, he worked on six new canvases, which he tirelessly modified in his search for the perfect rhythm and the balance of colors. Three of these works remained unfinished.
The first opus, in 1941, is titled New York. This oil on canvas 95 x 92 cm composed of black verticals and horizontals is not dynamic enough and does not interest anyone. The artist understands that the cause of this failure is the large empty square in the center of the canvas. He completes it in 1942 by adding three red lines as well as a few colored punctuations along the edges which are his first expression of the city's neon lights.
This transformation deserves a new title. The work becomes Boogie Woogie by reference to this style of jazz in which the pianist punctuates with one hand the main rhythm brought by the other hand. This New York Boogie Woogie was sold for $ 21M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2004, lot 7.
Mondrian's last two works, Broadway Boogie Woogie completed in 1943 and the unfinished Victory Boogie Woogie, energize his style by integrating small squares of color into his unlimited lines. His sudden death from pneumonia in February 1944 put an end to this short phase of intense musicality which paved the way for Action painting and Op art.
