This Fall, the David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) is proud to present Cercle et Carré and the International Spirit of Abstract Art. Opening September 18 and remaining on view through December 19, 2025, this special exhibition explores the influential but short-lived 20th century artistic group "Circle and Square," named after the geometric shapes fundamental to abstract art.
Founded in Paris in 1929 by Belgian painter and critic Michel Seuphor (1901–1999), Uruguayan painter and theorist Joaquín Torres-Garcia (1874–1949), and Catalan-American artist Pierre Daura (1896–1976), Cercle et Carré attracted more than eighty international artists including Jean Arp (1886–1966), Le Corbusier (1887–1965), Alexandra Exter (1882–1949), Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), Nadia Khodasevich Léger (1904–1987), Fernand Léger (1881–1955), and Sophie Täuber-Arp (1889–1943), among other famous and lesser-known personalities in the Parisian art world. This exhibition showcases more than sixty works by thirty of Cercle et Carré’s participants, as well as outlines the formation of the group and its artistic legacy. It was organized by the Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, with the addition of works from the collection of the David Owsley Museum of Art.
If you have questions about how to incorporate this show into your syllabi and classes, contact DOMA director Robert La France; Dr. La France will also give a special tour of the exhibition at 4:00 p.m. on September 22 for faculty and educators. A related lecture by visiting art scholar Rachel Silveri is scheduled for 6:00pm on November 13 at Pruis Hall. Both events - and other related programs - will be announced again this fall.
Visit bsu.edu/doma to learn more about the exhibition and the museum.
About the David Owsley Museum of Art
2021 W. Riverside Avenue in the Fine Arts Building
bsu.edu/DOMA
Muncie's Gateway to the World of Art
Public Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The David Owsley Museum of Art at Ball State University houses a world art collection with more than 11,000 original works representing all seven continents. DOMA cultivates lifelong learning and recreation in the visual arts through exciting interdisciplinary exhibitions and engaging displays of the permanent collection in an educational environment that serves both the University and the East Central Indiana region. For more information, contact the museum.