In 1931 the New School for Social Research opened a new building at 66 West 12th Street. In honour of the occasion, Katherine Dreier’s Société Anonyme organised an exhibition of modern art there. Mondrian sent two works from Paris, where he was then living. They were Composition No. IV and Composition No. III.

Dreier did not understand Mondrian’s titles. She had previously renamed two of his works, which had borne the neutral titles Tableau I and Tableau II, calling them Clarification I and Clarification II. Now she renamed the two he had sent for the show Simplification I and Simplification II. In the exhibition catalogue, Dreier characterised Mondrian’s work as “Dutch. Precision and Simplification based on a deep Philosophy.”