BILBAO, April 21 — From April 22 to October 23, 2016, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain is holding an exhibition focusing on the major modern art movements of the early 20th century, from Cubism to Surrealism, entitled “Windows on the City: The School of Paris, 1900-1945.”

It was in the City of Light that Robert Delaunay captured his colourful visions and that Constantin Brancusi reimagined sculpture, joining the host of other artists — such as Wassily Kandinsky and Pablo Picasso — who came to work in Paris.

As well as being the capital of France, the city was also the capital of Europe's avant-garde movement, where art and literature were reinvented in response to the many social, economic and even technical changes underway at the time.

The Guggenheim's Spanish outpost is paying homage to the School of Paris with an exhibition of work from its eminent artists, such as Amedeo Modigliani, Picasso and more.

In total, over 50 masterpieces will be displayed, dating from the early years of the 20th century to the end of the Second World War — a time when many artists left Europe for the USA, fleeing fascism and escaping occupied France.

“Windows on the City: The School of Paris, 1900-1945” is divided into three spaces. The first explores the different interpretations of cubism. Robert Delaunay brings urban life to the genre with "Red Eiffel Tower" (La tour rouge), while Marc Chagall is inspired by nostalgia for his country with “The Fiddler” (Le violoniste). Brancusi also delved into his origins with “The Witch” (La sorcière), inspired by Romanian legends.

Visitors are then plunged into the world of surrealism, a movement that emerged after the First World War when Paris regained its role as capital of modern art. The movement was strongly influenced by the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, and his various theories.

Artists like Jean Arp and Joan Miró worked on automatic drawing, while Max Ernst and Yves Tanguy brought the unexpected together in intriguing compositions. Influenced by the latter, Alexander Calder worked on the themes of movement and balance with his various mobiles.

The abstract paintings of Kandinsky will also feature in the exhibition, with the geometric and amorphous shapes the artist developed while teaching at the Bauhaus.

“Windows on the City: The School of Paris, 1900-1945” runs April 22 to October 23, 2016, at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

More information can be found here. www.guggenheim-bilbao.es — AFP-Relaxnews