Centenaire Morellet
Amitié Choisie : François Morellet et la collection Albers-Honegger

On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of François Morellet (1926–2016), a series of events pays tribute to this major artist across French institutions connected to his work.

The exhibition “Amitié choisie : François Morellet et la collection Albers-Honegger”, presented at the eac., highlights the intellectual, artistic and personal ties that united the artist with the collector couple Gottfried Honegger and Sybil Albers, whose commitment profoundly shaped the recognition of concrete abstraction in Europe.

A self-taught and prolific artist, François Morellet established himself as one of the leading figures of geometric abstraction and minimalism in France. Working primarily with elementary forms and a wide range of materials—steel, neon, adhesive tape, wire mesh or wood—he sought to control the creative process and demystify the romantic mythology of art and the inspired artist. He advocated a rigorous, objective methodology, often tinged with humour, in which each decision stems from a pre-established principle, sometimes even incorporating chance. His playfulness is evident even in the titles of his works, rich in wordplay and subversion. This stance, marked by humour and critical spirit, found a particular resonance with Gottfried Honegger and Sybil Albers.

The relationship between Morellet and the collector couple extended far beyond simple support: it was grounded in a genuine community of thought. Sharing a common vision of art as a structured field of experimentation—free from subjective expressiveness and based on legible principles—this intellectual and human affinity is reflected in the artist’s presence within the Albers-Honegger Collection.

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100 X MORELLET

2026, CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF FRANÇOIS MORELLET

To mark the centenary of François Morellet’s birth, numerous institutions are coming together to pay tribute to one of the major figures of contemporary art, at the initiative of the Centre Pompidou.

Participating venues

Centre Pompidou-Metz • Centre Pompidou Francilien – fabrique de l’art, Massy • Château de Montsoreau – Musée d'art contemporain • Château de Versailles • Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Paris • École Nationale Supérieure d’art de Bourges • Espace de l’Art Concret (eac. – centre d'art contemporain d'intérêt national), Mouans-Sartoux • Frac des Pays de La Loire, Carquefou • Galerie Mennour, Paris • Galerie de l’Hôtel de Ville, Chinon • Grand Palais, Paris • MAC VAL, Vitry-sur-Seine • [mac] musée d'art contemporain, Marseille • Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Cholet • Musée d’arts de Nantes • Musée de Grenoble • Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Angers • Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen • Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes • Musée du Louvre, Paris • Musée national Fernand Léger, Biot • Villa Médicis, Rome