Upside-Down Mondrian

Art historian Susanne Meyer-Büser argues that a 1941 work by Piet Mondrian has been hung upside-down for the past 75 years. The work, made with colored adhesive tape, has traditionally been hung with the closely-spaced bands at the bottom. Meyer-Büser says that these should be at the top, "like a dark sky." A photo of Mondrian's studio from 1944 supports her interpretation.

However, there are no plans to turn the work around, due to its fragile condition.

I'll be adding this to my Gallery of Art Hung Upside-Down.

More info: BBC, Town and Country

The traditional orientation

The correct orientation (according to Meyer-Büser)

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Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 30, 2022
Category: Art

Comments

Worked for a college student union which had several art galleries. Was asked to assist art students in moving and setting up their art. Most had no idea how to hang a picture. One had an abstract painting with a large signature. Still wound up hanging it upside down.

Posted by Phil on 10/30/22 at 05:01 AM

@Phil: now you make me want to paint an abstract painting and intentionally sign it upside down. And then insist that it be hung with the signature at the top. Just to mess with the punters.

Posted by Richard Bos on 10/30/22 at 05:28 AM

My solution would be to hang this on something attached to a slowly moving turntable. That way, it would be viewed as the artist intended once during each revolution.

Posted by Fritz on 10/30/22 at 06:34 AM

@Fritz: not a bad idea - call it an action painting.

Posted by Richard Bos on 10/30/22 at 12:17 PM

I can see other possibilities here. One obvious one is that Mondrian was using this study piece to contemplate making another version of his oil painting with closely-spaced bands at the bottom, "like a road, the grass, and the ocean."

Also, the model in the Town and Country article clearly looks devious enough to have rotated the artwork on the easel while the photographer wasn't looking.

Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 10/30/22 at 12:38 PM

Should set up an arrangement of mirrors so it can be viewed in every orientation simultaneously.

Posted by Phideaux on 10/30/22 at 12:54 PM

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