This exhibition by acclaimed French artist François Morellet (b. 1926) comprises a selection of paintings made in 2006 which replicate works originally produced by him in 1952, magnified to a scale of 4:1. They exemplify the profound influence of tapa on Morellet’s distinct style of abstraction, and visitors have an opportunity to compare them at Ikon through the simultaneous presentation of Tapa: Barkcloth paintings from the Pacific, in our first floor galleries.

Born in Cholet, France, Morellet received no formal artistic training and taught himself to paint, his early works of the 1940s marked by semi-figurative painting and sculpture. Later, in the 1950s, he turned to abstract art, heralding a prolific and lengthy career characterised by simple geometric forms encompassing drawing, painting, sculpture and installation. Often using systems or rules to create compositions, Morellet’s work turns away from the conventional notions of inspired mark-making which are supposed to signify fine art, and it is this sensibility that made him susceptible to tapa.

This exhibition comprises a selection of works from his show Blow Up, Quand j’etais petit je ne faisais pas grand at the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris in 2007. This recent series, made more than fifty years after the original paintings, can be seen as an adaptation to fit a new cultural environment. As a gesture this series of paintings is completely in keeping with Morellet’s artistic proposition: it is repetition by an artist for whom repetition is a trade mark.

This exhibition is supported by Institut Français Royaume-Uni.