Adya & Otto van Rees. Au cœur des avant-gardes

From March 20 to September 13, 2026, the Musée de Montmartre dedicates its new exhibition to “Adya & Otto van Rees. At the Heart of the Avant-Gardes.” This first French retrospective gathers around one hundred works—paintings, embroideries, collages, sculptures—tracing the paths of two major figures of European modern art, Otto van Rees (1884–1957) and Adya van Rees-Dutilh (1876–1959). Settled at the Bateau-Lavoir from 1904 alongside Picasso, Braque, and van Dongen, the van Rees couple traversed the great aesthetic revolutions of the 20th century, from Divisionism to the Dada movement, including Cubism and Abstraction. The exhibition reveals a rare creative dialogue nurtured by intimacy and collective commitment.

From native Rotterdam to the Bateau-Lavoir: the birth of an artist couple The exhibition opens with the meeting of the two artists in the Netherlands. Adya van Rees-Dutilh, born in Rotterdam in 1876, trained in Brussels at the academy of painter Ernest Blanc-Garin—one of the few institutions then open to women. A demanding self-taught artist, she develops a body of work combining painting, drawing, and applied arts. Otto van Rees, born in Freiburg in 1884, grew up in Amsterdam within a family circle of academics and artists, including Jan Toorop, who encouraged him early on. Otto van Rees, Adya in profile, late 1905–1906, oil on canvas (51.5 x 46.4 cm) Their installation at the Bateau-Lavoir in 1904 plunged them into the vibrant Montmartre scene. They mingled with Georges Braque, Kees van Dongen, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso. These exchanges fueled their initial artistic explorations. “Adya & Otto van Rees. At the Heart of the Avant-Gardes” at Musée de Montmartre shows how their respective styles were shaped in constant dialogue: Adya develops her sensitivity for textile arts, while Otto hones his sense of color and structure. Their works reflect the transition from Divisionism to Cloisonnism, which Adya calls “flat painting,” then a gradual adoption of Cubism principles. Their trips to Italy in 1905, 1906 and stays in Fleury-en-Bière marked this formative period. The exhibited works, from French, Swiss, and Dutch collections, attest to the couple’s creative energy in contact with emerging modernity.

Abstract embroideries, collages, and the birth of the Dada movement in Zurich The exhibition continues by exploring the multiple avenues between 1909 and 1913: figurative research rooted in Cubism and early moves toward abstraction. Adya innovates embroidery language by incorporating abstraction and rhythm principles. In March 1914, her embroideries attract Guillaume Apollinaire’s attention at the Salon des artistes indépendants, alongside works by Marc Chagall and Alexander Archipenko. 100 works gathered for this first French retrospective The embroidery Le Transsibérien caused such an impact that a visitor attacked it with a knife, revealing the subversive power of her textile work. Otto developed collages and formal experiments. A room evokes the intimate sphere: the birth of the couple’s three children inspires family creations where maternity represents the miracle of life. Adya designed toys, extending her inventiveness into daily domestic life. During the First World War, the van Rees actively participated in the Dada movement in Zurich. The November 1915 exhibition at Galerie Tanner, shared with Hans Arp, marked their entry into the Dada adventure. Visitors follow a dual narrative throughout the exhibition: collective engagement within artistic circles and the personal story of a couple. Adya’s embroideries and Otto’s collages challenge hierarchies between media. Adya van Rees-Dutilh, Composition after Otto van Rees, 1915, silk embroidery This 1915 silk embroidery illustrates how Adya van Rees-Dutilh translated her husband Otto’s formal research into textile, creating a dialogue between painting and fiber arts. The year 1915 marks a decisive turning point: as a refugee in Switzerland during WWI, Adya exhibited in November at Galerie Tanner in Zurich alongside Otto and Hans Arp. This exhibition, retrospectively considered a founding event of the Dada movement, featured abstract embroideries and wool and silk tapestries. By integrating abstraction and Cubism principles into a medium traditionally viewed as female craft, Adya helped bring textile arts into the sphere of modern art.

From the return to order to the foundation of Cercle et Carré The 1920s begin with a tragedy. In 1919, a serious train accident injured the couple and their three children. The eldest, Aditya, succumbed to her injuries. These personal challenges were accompanied by new formal explorations, in line with the return to order theorized by Jean Cocteau. A form of expressionism with a singular narrative force depicts landscapes, portraits, and still lifes of the marital living environment. Otto van Rees was involved in founding the Cercle et Carré group in 1929-1930, alongside Michel Seuphor and Joaquín Torres García. This movement shaped debates on non-figurative art. The journey visitors experience with their ticket at the Musée de Montmartre follows this evolution up to the most accomplished forms of abstraction. The first bilingual French/English scholarly publication dedicated to the artists, the exhibition catalogue is a co-edition of the Musée de Montmartre and Éditions El Viso. Adya's lack of recognition is largely explained by the critical biases of an era that relegated female creators to the sidelines. The route retraces the trajectory of a resolutely independent artist, whose recognition was long delayed. The final section celebrates the creative strength of Adya van Rees-Dutilh: her textile projects, inspired by Otto Freundlich or commissioned by Paul Poiret, dialogue with the immense embroidery Dieu avertit. This monumental work responds to Otto’s paintings, which depict Adya 'at work' throughout their life together. Otto van Rees, Adya bowing to the cradle, 1917, oil on canvas (95.5 x 93.4 cm) Centraal Museum, Utrecht