Untitled

A black ring in the centre of a square canvas breaks the harmony of an immaculate surface. Through its purity and the symbolism of its single motif, the work seems to strive for a degree zero of painting rather than its essence.

Olivier Mosset began his radical experiments with painting within the BMPT group. From 1966 to 1974 he painted some 200 one-metre-by-one metre canvases white with a black circle in the centre. Aiming to deconstruct painting, which he defines as “applying colour to canvas”, and thereby remove its sacred status, his systematic works embody a form of nihilism.

Untitled will be exhibited for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the “Au-delà de la couleur” ("Beyond Colour") show at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes in June 2021.