From ‘Peripheries’ to ‘Centres’, Westwards: On the Influence of Katarzyna Kobro on Georges Vantongerloo

Abstract

ABSTRACT The historiography of modern art recognizes numerous cases of influence and impact that artist from the so-called ‘Western centres’ had on their ‘Eastern peripheral’ colleagues. Reverse examples, however, are rarely recognised. This article gives such an example, by demonstrating the influence of Katarzyna Kobro on Georges Vantongerloo, two prominent avant-garde sculptors. Analysis of historical material (e.g. letters and publications) and selected artworks clearly indicates that the pioneering sculptures of Kobro, who lived and worked mostly in Poland, had profound impact on Vantongerloo, a Belgian artist related to the Dutch formation ‘De Stijl’. In time Vantongerloo’s works evolved from compact sculptures-masses to open spatial compositions that came to share the spirit of Kobro’s unique works. This case thus serves as evidence of two-way artistic influences and mobility that took place within the supranational network of the avant-garde, contrarily to historiographical assumptions such as the ‘centre-periphery’ paradigm or the East-West dichotomization.