Olle BærtlingFormes ouvertes

From February 20 to July 19, 2026, the Institut suédois presents nearly thirty years of work by painter and sculptor Olle Bærtling (1911–1981), an iconic figure of abstraction, in dialogue with the works of seven international artists: Cécile 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.

Agra, 1959, Courtesy of Bærtlingstiftelsen, Photo : Inu Enescu

‘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 Bærtling, 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 (André Bloc, Nicolas Schöffer, Victor Vasarely and others) and Auguste Herbin, mark Bærtling as a radical modernist.

Tot, 1953, Courtesy of Bærtlingstiftelsen, Photo : Inu Enescu / Biri , 1953, Courtesy of Bærtlingstiftelsen, Photo : Inu Enescu

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 Bærtling 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 Bærtling’s work?

Yuak , 1969, Courtesy of Bærtlingstiftelsen, Photo : Inu Enescu / Imua, 1958, Courtesy of Bærtlingstiftelsen, Photo : Inu Enescu

Practical Information

Formes ouvertes
February 20 – July 19 2026

Institut suédois
11 rue Payenne, 75003 Paris
Entrance at 11 rue Payenne
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 12 pm – 7 pm
Late opening on Thursdays until 9 pm