The history of the Museum of Geometric and MADI Art began more than 12 years ago when Bill and Dorothy Masterson, lifelong supporters of the arts, were introduced to the innovative MADI art movement. Fascinated by the playful complexity and fascinating figures inherent within this modern art form, the Mastersons became involved in the MADI movement, traveling around the world to collect MADI art pieces and even staying with Carmelo Arden Quin, the movement’s founder.
HISTORY
OF THE MUSEUM
When Mr. Masterson’s firm, Kilgore & Kilgore, moved to the building on 3109 Carlisle, the Mastersons decided to give back to the community that has supported the firm by converting the majority of the first floor of the building into the first permanent MADI Museum. As such, the renovation of the building itself was designed in the MADI style; one that emphasizes innovative designs containing an array of geometric forms. The concept behind MADI is more than just an assembly of colored shapes, however – the art is universally accessible and appealing, and the more it is studied, the more multifaceted it becomes.
HISTORY
OF THE MADI MOVEMENT
MADI is a movement founded by Carmelo Arden Quin. During the 1940’s Arden Quin joined intellectual writers and artists in Buenos Aires . In 1944, after working on it for several years, he brought out the literary and artistic journal Arturo, in which he applied dialectic materialism of art. He also contributed his prose proem Pegasus Eats Grass in Chaos, which refers (secretly due to censorship) to the horrors of World War II. In August of 1946 Arden Quin read to the public the MADI Manifesto, which he had written, and which launched the MADI movement. He began experimenting with curved wood, alternating convex and concave forms, which he called “form galbee” and irregular shapes, as seen in EXA.
The MADI Movement continues today through original artists from the movement encouraging younger artists to adopt the MADI mentality and is represented by artists internationally as well as in North America.
It is possible that Arden Quin’s passion for game-playing led him to create MADI, the only remaining contemporary art movement which can pride itself in possessing both coherence and a truly international outlook.
DOMINIQUE JACQUEMIN | Art Critic
