François Morellet. 100 pour cent

The Centre Pompidou-Metz pays tribute to François Morellet (1926-2016) with an unprecedented retrospective, the largest ever devoted to the artist, bringing together one hundred works spanning more than seventy years of creation.

A painter of rules and disorder, Morellet embodies the tension between geometric rigor and the jubilation of chance. From his first figurative paintings to his luminous experiments, the exhibition reveals a free, ironic spirit, oscillating between mathematical order and optical madness. Nurtured by Max Bill and inspired by the Alhambra, he invented a concrete art free of all expressivity, soon open to the vibration of the gaze and the play of perceptions.

This exhibition is part of 100 x Morellet, a vast national program initiated by the Centre Pompidou to mark the centenary of the artist's birth. This large-scale project is being rolled out across France, with new exhibitions, rediscoveries of works in the collections and in public spaces, as well as a series of meetings, conferences and an international symposium. The aim is to re-examine Morellet's legacy, his place in art history, his relationship with heritage and architecture, and the influence he continues to exert on contemporary artists.