What resulted was a complete reconceptualization of the traditional format for painting: Arden Quin and his colleagues experimented with shaped canvases; groups of movable paintings known as “coplanals”; and the “Forme Galbée,” which featured deep concave-convex undulations in the picture plane itself. All of these experiments stemmed from the desire to infuse painting with a sense of possibility, movement, and playfulness. In 1948, Arden Quin moved to Paris where he remained committed to refining the Madi aesthetic over the course of his long career, incorporating new forms and materials into his work.

Courtesy Leon Tovar Gallery, New York