Between 1931 and 1937, an international network based in Paris fought against fascism for the freedom of art: the group Abstraction-Création, whose fluctuating membership numbered as many as ninety, including Jean Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Alexander Calder, Barbara Hepworth, and Piet Mondrian. This is the first exhibition on this pioneering association of artists since the 1970s.

As a center of the avant-garde, Paris became a last refuge as nationalist movements spread to every part of Europe. Since there was virtually no market for abstract art, the members of Abstraction-Création were forced to create their own organizational structures independent of the salons and galleries. This multigenerational, liberal, progressive, and visionary group set about uniting all the different strands of nonobjective art.

The whole spectrum is on display in this exhibition, from rigid compositions and Purist grids to vibrant, organic-looking forms at play. And seven contemporary artists from around the world demonstrate that the topic is as timely as ever.