In 2012 S.M.A.K. received a generous bequest from the estate of the Brussels collector Henri Chotteau (1947-2012). It consisted almost entirely of important works by the French artist François Morellet (1926-2016). He had already donated works by this artist to the S.M.A.K. in 2004 and in the context of the solo exhibition in 2007. The museum now possesses 24 works by Morellet from Choteau’s collection, making it one of the most significant ensembles in the world.
Morellet’s oeuvre has clear links with the Op Art and Kinetic Art of the 1960s. His geometric compositions of lines, squares and triangles arise out of the systematic application of predetermined rules, chance plays an important part in its creation. His titles not only offer an insight into the way the works came about, but often also have a humorous double meaning. Morellet puts into perspective his self-imposed artistic rules and, more broadly, also the myth of creation and the earnestness of art, thereafter returning to a more serious view.
François Morellet passed away 10 May 2016.
