Dictionary
Group Espace

The Espace group was an important part of the Geometric Abstraction movement post-1945. The group - whose name was the French word for "space" – was founded by the architect André Bloc (1896-1966) in Paris, in 1951. Members included Étienne (István) Beöthy, Jean Gorin, Félix Del Marle and Edgard Pill. The most prominent members were Fernand Léger, Sonia Delaunay-Terk and Victor Vasarely. The group practised geometric abstraction, in the vein of the Bauhaus, De Stijl and Neoplasticism. The continuation of this tradition was particularly evident in Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg’s work, making the Espace successors of sorts to the Abstraction-Création group (1931-36). The group’s aim was also to give all forms of art – painting, architecture, and sculpture - a social function. This idea was expressed in the group’s journal, Art d'aujourd'hui.
Espace had a broad impact throughout Europe, and had followers in Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. The most important group outside Paris, was located in London, and was active between1953-1959. Key members included Paule Vézelay, Marlow Moss and Geoffrey Clarke.