Exhibiting Abstraction

The time around 1910 has entered art history as the moment when «abstraction was invented». However, where and when works of non-figurative art became present in the public eye has been afforded little attention to date. Exhibiting Abstraction is the first publication to be devoted entirely to the presentation of abstract art between 1908 and 1915. It uncovers strategies for the dissemination of early abstract painting in exhibitions with the aid of a register of exhibited works by Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Wassily Kandinsky, Frantisek Kupka, Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian and Francis Picabia shown to the public within this period, and an analysis of the artists’ exhibition activities. The key role played by art exhibitions in the works’ introduction and dissemination is highlighted.