In its amalgamation of swirling, nebulous colour and form, Complexe epitomises the vision of František Kupka, who alongside Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky (fig. 1), Hilma af Klint (fig. 2) and Piet Mondrian was one of the foremost artists on the path to abstraction in the early twentieth century. Appearing at the seminal Salon de la Section d'Or exhibition in 1912, Complexe presents a crucial moment in Kupka's career in which his vision for the future of abstraction was boldly declared.

Painted in 1912, Kupka’s Complexe reflects a very specific moment in t.mes as artists across Europe began to experiment with new forms of expression. In its adept handling of colour and form it is possible to see the vibrant palette of the Fauves, the fragmented picture plane of the Cubist movement and the swirling dynamism of Orphism (fig. 3). Scholar and curator Dorothy Kosinski has written about the breadth of cultural and artistic references in his work:

‘This multiplicity of references is characteristic of Kupka’s way of thinking and working. It is, moreover, an attitude consonant with the many syncretic utopian philosophical systems which blossomed throughout the nineteenth century and early decades of the twentieth century, embracing cosmologies, mythologies, religions and histories of the world in an effort to uncover a single all-encompassing truth’ (D. Kosinski in, Exh. Cat., Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Painting the Universe, Frantisek Kupka Pioneer in Abstraction, 1997-98, p. 38). Kupka, however, staunchly rejected such prescriptive labels, writing to a friend early in 1913: ‘My approach to painting is like that of a newborn whose eyes have just opened to the world’.

Having abandoned preconceived ideas of space and depth, Kupka allows colour and form here to play a central role, pushing the boundaries of pictorial abstraction. Complexe reflects Kupka’s understanding of the relationship between colour and form and his belief in his role as a ‘colour symphonist’: ‘Essentially, what I am looking for now, are symmorphies – "color symphonist’” (Kupka quoted in, P. Brullé & M. Theinhardt, František Kupka: the road to Amorpha: Kupka’s salons 1899-1913, 2012-13, p. 51). Kupka associated different colours with varying emotions in a manner reminiscent of Kandinsky's synesthesia. Margit Rowell has commented upon Kupka’s understanding of colour, remarking that: ‘For Kupka, the physiological properties of colour (number, length, speed of wave lengths) dictate an ideal shape. The ideal form for red is round, orange is oval, green is undulating etc… The ideal form for blue is vertical and rectilinear: "Blue, like its closest neighbors on the spectrum, because it seems to recede in space, or at least draw back into itself, should be motivated or enclosed by tapered, rectilinear forms"’ (M. Rowell, Exh. Cat., The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, František Kupka 1871-1957. A Retrospective, 1975, p. 280).

Drawing inspiration from the natural world around him, Complexe doesn’t fully abandon the world of figural representation. Amidst the cyclical flutes of colour, the curved white neck of a swan can be recognised. The swan recurred frequently in Kupka’s oeuvre, appearing in various guises. Art critic Hirotoshi Furuta has spoken of the origins and significance of this motif, writing that: ‘One day [Kupka’s] mother went for a walk in the park around Opocno Castle with the baby Kupka in her arms. During this walk a swan was excited by a ribbon on the baby and flew at him, biting his right hand. Kupka connected this first.mes mory with his revered Leonardo and the psychological analysis of Freud, and it is apparent that this image held special significance for Kupka throughout his life’ (Exh. Cat., František Kupka, op. cit., 1994, p. 247). With this interpretation, Complexe, as in other works by the artist, adopts the theme of creation and rebirth. The swan also calls to mind Kupka’s paintings of the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan. The swirling brushstrokes of colour take flight across the canvas evoking the wings of the bird and capturing Kupka’s cosmic vision. Complexe embodies Kupka’s philosophy that ‘everything in nature is in movement, whether observable or invisible’ (ibid., p. 88). This combination of organic forms and restless sense of energy defines Kupka’s vision and his refusal to be assigned to one specific artistic movement. Complexe is a composition as multifaceted as its title suggests and in its deeply avant-garde approach colour and movement, shows Kupka anticipating the abstractions of the colour field painters and the vaulted ceilings of his own cathedrals of colour that would come to fruition in the 1920s.

Complexe is one of three paintings that Kupka exhibited at the famous Salon de la Section d'Or exhibition in Paris in 1912. The other paintings that were exhibited were Compliment, now in the collects ion of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and Constante, the location of which is unknown (fig. 6). The Salon de la Section d'Or is considered to be the largest and most important exhibition of the Montparnasse Cubists and its importance in art history was elevated by its announcement of developments in the avant-garde. Poet and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire has spoken of these developments, remarking that the exhibition brought to the forefront a new style which he termed as ‘Orphic Cubism’ and which he saw Kupka’s work as being emblematic of. Although Kupka rejected being classified as a follower of Orphism, his contributions to the exhibition were groundbreaking in their synthesizing of Cubist and Futurist ideals. The Salon de la Section d'Or took place at the same t.mes as the 1912 Salon d’Automne, in which Kupka also exhibited, and these two exhibitions marked a profound change in the artist’s style as he broke away from mimetic representation and took a pioneering step towards abstract art.

Since being exhibited in 1912, Complexe has appeared in numerous exhibitions across Europe, Asia and in an exhibition in Egypt. The first owner of Complexe was the poet and art critic Nicolas Beauduin, a close friend of the artist and of Apollinaire. It was to Beauduin that the present work was dedicated and it remained with Beauduin until he died, before passing into the collects ion of his daughter. Later it entered the collects ion of Hollywood star and the first James Bond, Sir Sean Connery (fig. 7). Complexe comes to auction now for the first t.mes from the estate of Sir Sean Connery and is sold partially to benefit The Connery Foundation.