Poliakoff and the Parisian Generation - HELENE BAILLY MARCILHAC

If the innovations Serge Poliakoff brought to modern painting are numerous—such as a rigorous abstract composition, the inseparability of forms, and a melodic harmony in painting—the influence he had on his contemporaries is even deeper. Exhibiting Serge Poliakoff without considering this Parisian generation would be an incomplete reading of his work. Poliakoff’s universe is profoundly Parisian: it was in Paris that he declared himself to have “become a painter,” alongside a generation of artists who pushed the boundaries of abstraction.

To contextualize Poliakoff’s painting, one must consider the rise of abstract art. His contemporaries immediately recognized his talent, and through his encounters—particularly with Kandinsky, Robert Delaunay, and Sonia Delaunay—Poliakoff refined his practice. These exchanges enriched his pursuit of harmony and simplicity in color and form.

Alongside him, other key figures of this Parisian generation also shaped modern art: Hans Hartung, with his powerful gestural language and exploration of movement; Vieira da Silva, who reinvented pictorial space through her colorful labyrinths; Fernand Léger, whose architectural vision of forms influenced a more structured abstraction; and Nicolas de Staël, a master of abstraction on the edge of figuration, sharing with Poliakoff a common pursuit of chromatic intensity.

The HELENE BAILLY Gallery is proud to present major works by Poliakoff—such as the piece that served as the poster for the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris retrospective dedicated to him in 2013–2014—testimonies to his coloristic genius and unique approach to abstract form, alongside a Parisian generation that contributed to the remarkable persistence of his color research and developed equally avant-garde works.