Exhibition: Formes ouvertes

The exhibition presents nearly thirty years of work by painter and sculptor Olle BĂŠrtling (1911–1981), an iconic figure of abstraction, in dialogue with the works of seven international artists: CĂ©cile Bart, Rana Begum, Ulla von Brandenburg, Jacob Dahlgren, Bernd Ribbeck, Bella Rune and Brooklin A. Soumahoro. Through very different approaches and mediums, they are revitalising geometric abstract art and exploring its relevance today.
Start date:
20 Feb 2026
End date:
19 Jul 2026
Category:
At the Institut Suédois
Time
From Tuesday to Sunday, 12 pm to 7 pm. Late opening on Thursday, to 9 pm.
Triangles in sharp colours of different sizes joining on the upper left corner of the image.
Olle BĂŠrtling, "Agra", 1959. Courtesy of BĂŠrtlingstiftelsen. Photo: Inu Enescu. The format of the image has been modified.

‘Art for me has always been about abstract motion. [
] Everything is motion, everything moves. There is no fixed point in the universe. But whereas such motion is physical, abstract motion is in tune with human thought.’ These are the opening words of Prologue to a Manifesto of Open Form (1970), a seminal text written by Olle Bértling, a banker who became an artist at the age of twenty-three.

In the 1950s, he began to develop the concept of ‘open form’, a system of angles rejecting any background or closed geometric pattern. The forms extend out of the frame, beyond the canvas, towards infinity. This spatial painting, inspired by his trips to Paris and his interactions with the Groupe Espace (AndrĂ© Bloc, Nicolas Schöffer, Victor Vasarely and others) and Auguste Herbin, mark BĂŠrtling as a radical modernist.

In addition to using geometry in a new way, he proved to be a bold colourist: for him, colour was a perceptual agent that activates the retina and stimulates thought. Through their interplay of vibrant hues and never-ending triangles, his monumental compositions reveal an abstraction that is in motion, open, decentred and perpetually reaching beyond the frame.

This uniquely designed exhibition explores the global ramifications of geometric abstraction and its relevance today. It compares the iconic BĂŠrtling with the abstract art of seven contemporary artists, who are exploring the concept of open form in their own, entirely new ways.

Implicitly, a question arises: what has become of the utopia that permeated Bértling’s work?  Is the ideal of a universal language that, through its abstract form, can speak to and be understood by all still topical? The exhibition invites us to view abstraction not as a static legacy, but as an ever-evolving exploration. Revealing abstractions on the margins, it dares to shift the focus, as Bértling did, to explore what it is that continues to move us in abstract art.

“Formes ouvertes” is part of a series of exhibitions at the Institut suĂ©dois highlighting artists who were pioneers in their time, in dialogue with contemporary creators.

Curators: Marion Alluchon and Marjolaine LĂ©vy

Our thanks to the Olle Baertling Foundation, Hallands Konstmuseum, the Swedish Embassy in France, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and all private lenders. Special thanks to friends and benefactors of Institut suédois for their generous support.

With support from Houdini Sportswear.

Useful information

Admission free, no prior booking required