From March 15 to September 15, 2024, the Musée de Montmartre hosted an exceptional retrospective entitled Auguste Herbin, le Maître révélé. The first major Parisian exhibition dedicated to this little-known artist, the event restored Herbin to his rightful place in the history of modern art.
Herbin, a key figure in the Avant-Garde
Born in 1882, Auguste Herbin passed through several major artistic currents: from Fauvism to Cubism, via geometric abstraction. As early as 1905, his first Fauvist works attracted the attention of renowned critics and collectors, including Wilhelm Uhde and Ivan Morozov. From 1908, he took part in the Salon des Indépendants alongside Picasso and Braque, contributing to the rise of Cubism. In 1909, he moved into the emblematic Bateau-Lavoir in Montmartre, where he rubbed shoulders with the great figures of the avant-garde for almost two decades.
The exhibition at the Musée de Montmartre highlights the different stages of his artistic career. From his early works, influenced by Impressionism and Cubism, to the abstract canvases of the 1920s, each period illustrates his ceaseless exploration of color and form.
The invention of a Plastic Alphabet
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the exploration of Herbin’s “plastic alphabet”, developed during the Second World War. This innovative system combines geometric shapes, colors and letters to create a universal artistic language. Inspired by Goethe’s theories on color and Rudolf Steiner’s esoteric ideas, Herbin’s ambition was to create an art form accessible to all.
This alphabet is displayed in major works from prestigious collections such as the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris and the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. His influence can be felt well beyond his own era, notably in Op Art and kinetic art, championed by artists such as Victor Vasarely.
An injustice repaired
Despite his central role in modern art, Auguste Herbin has long been overshadowed by his contemporaries. The exhibition at the Musée de Montmartre rectifies this injustice with a comprehensive, immersive retrospective. The venue, steeped in history, is particularly symbolic since Herbin lived and worked there. Visitors were able to browse a selection of previously unseen works, accompanied by archive documents and photographs.
By retracing his career, the exhibition highlights Herbin’s uniqueness: an artist who constantly sought to reinvent his art while retaining a profound humanity. Through his experiments, he left a lasting mark on the history of abstraction, while remaining true to his utopian vision of art at the service of society.
An enthusiastic reception
The exhibition has been hailed by critics for its educational approach and ambition. It enabled a broad public to rediscover an artist whose work is as complex as it is captivating. Thanks to exceptional loans and an immersive scenography, the Musée de Montmartre offered a fascinating plunge into Herbin’s universe, doing justice to a pioneer of modernity.
This retrospective is a milestone in the rediscovery of Herbin’s work, which continues to inspire generations of artists and modern art enthusiasts.
Creacontact, Ambassador of Know-How.
