<Pier and Ocean>

Pier and Ocean is one of the neon tube installations that characterize the work of François Morellet, a major figure in kinetic art and geometric abstraction. For this piece, first shown in 2014, he collaborated with Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata, known for his ephemeral site-specific installations made from found pieces of wood. Morellet invited him to create a wooden bridge extending over the ocean, represented by thirty-eight blue neon tubes, gently flashing to evoke a luminous swell. A poetic tribute to a series of works from 1914 by Piet Mondrian bearing the same title, this immersive work retains the minimalism, as well as the systematic and objective language, of Mondrian’s approach.