Cercle et Carré
and the International Spirit of Abstract Art

Opening Reception

Join us on Thursday, April 30 from 5 to 7 pm for the opening reception. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and complimentary wine provided by Foris Wine.

About the Exhibition

Founded in Paris in 1929, the artists’ group Cercle et Carré lasted less than a year, but its influence remains important. Cercle et Carré (which translates as Circle and Square) included famous artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and Fernand Léger as well as the lesser-known Vilmos Huszár, František Foltýn and Alexandra Exter. The Schneider Museum of Art will present the exhibition “Cercle et Carré and the International Spirit of Abstract Art,” organized by the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, April 30 through August 8, 2026.

Belgian artist and critic Michel Seuphor, Uruguayan-Catalan artist Joaquín Torres-García and Catalan-American artist Pierre Daura launched Cercle et Carré in opposition to surrealism and to promote “structure and construction.” Its more than 80 artists hailed from France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Spain, and elsewhere. Some of them were well-established and experienced. Others were just starting their careers. Many were women. Cercle et Carré represented nearly every trend in modernism: cubism, futurism, dada, constructivism, neoplasticism, and purism. Debating late into the night, its members sought to develop the theories of abstract art.

In April 1930, Cercle et Carré held its first and only exhibition at Galerie 23 in Paris, demonstrating its democratic ideals and internationalism. Although the exhibition’s critical reception was limited and not a single work sold, prominent members of the Parisian avant-garde like Pablo Picasso lent their support.

The works in “Cercle et Carré and the International Spirit of Abstract Art,” which include paintings, prints, sculpture, drawings and furniture, maintain the group’s founding principles. These works have rarely been seen together and considered in relation to one another since 1930. From Daura’s original design for the group’s logo to Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s colorful serigraphs and Franciska Clausen’s geometric watercolors, they show the diversity of Cercle et Carré.

This exhibition is supported by the Daura Foundation.