Marlow Moss - A suitcase full of sketches

The sketches from the suitcase were made after 1940 and form the basis for various reliefs, sculptures, paintings and drawings by Moss. They demonstrate Moss's versatility as an artist: mathematically calculated compositions, organically shaped watercolour drawings and preliminary studies for pencil drawings are on display.

At the heart of her time

In the 1930s, Moss was at the heart of artistic circles and was in close contact with other artists. The exhibition therefore includes several works by his contemporaries: his friend, the artist Jean Gorin, had a similar mathematical approach in his work. Piet Mondriaan was also an important contact. Moss was an admirer of Mondriaan and, conversely, Mondriaan's use of double lines is associated with her introduction of this stylistic device.

Special life course

Moss was born in London in 1889 as Marjorie Jewel Moss. After studying at art academies in London, she left for Cornwall in 1919 to focus on art and literature. Shortly afterwards, in 1921, she cut her hair short and changed her first name to the gender-neutral Marlow. At the end of the 1920s, she left for Paris, where she met Piet Mondriaan and found herself at the centre of the French capital's artistic circles. In Paris, Moss met the Dutch author Netty Nijhoff, who became her life partner. Together they spent a lot of time in Paris, Normandy and Zeeland. In 1940, Moss, who was of Jewish descent, was forced to flee. She returned to Cornwall, where she lived and worked until her death in 1958. Thanks to Moss's connection with the Netherlands, many of her works can now be found in Dutch museum collections, including three paintings in the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.