Piet Mondrian lived in New York from 3 October 1940 until 1 February 1944, the day he died. The city’s lively energy is palpable in his last works. During the Second World War, Mondrian fled London for New York, where he could live free of the Nazi threat. He already knew a great many friends, art dealers and collectors in the city.
In late September 1940 he boarded a passenger liner in Liverpool, England. After a tense, exhausting 10-day crossing, the ship docked in New York.
Mondrian’s good friend Harry Holtzman took him under his wing, and he quickly found his feet in the buzzing city. He became a member of the American Abstract Artists group and part of the New York art scene. But Mondrian was happiest working in his studio, exploring new means of expression in his painting, inspired by the city.
He was still full of new ideas when a high fever forced him to stop work on the painting Victory Boogie Woogie in late January 1944. The cause was pneumonia. On 1 February 1944, Mondrian died in hospital.