“5 Mo”: Five Artists, Five Worlds, a Constellation of Connections at MAC VAL in Vitry-sur-Seine
From 20 November 2026 to 25 April 2027, MAC VAL – the Museum of Contemporary Art of Val-de-Marne – presents “5 Mo”, a group exhibition bringing together François Morellet, Charles-Henri Monvert, Jacques Monory, Bernard Moninot and Vera Molnar.
Organised to mark the centenary of François Morellet’s birth, this exhibition offers an original perspective on his artistic legacy. More than a tribute, it invites visitors to discover the artistic, intellectual and sometimes unexpected connections that link five artists through geometry, chance, constraint and creative freedom.
At the heart of this artistic constellation, two major figures in contemporary art engage in a particularly compelling dialogue: François Morellet and Vera Molnar, united by a deep friendship and a shared determination to push the boundaries of geometric abstraction.
François Morellet: The Art of Making Geometry Go Awry
A leading figure in contemporary art, François Morellet (1926–2016) profoundly renewed the approach to geometric abstraction. His work is based on systems, rules and protocols, which he subverts with a distinctive sense of freedom and humour.
Lines, grids, diagonals, neon lights, patterns and mathematical compositions form the vocabulary of his work. Yet behind this apparent rigour lies a deliberately irreverent approach, in which chance, the unexpected and accidents play an essential role.
The artist enjoyed devising rules for the game, imposing constraints on himself and exploring their possibilities. Far from seeking perfect and immutable geometry, he revealed its flaws, contradictions and surprises.
His famous statement perfectly sums up this approach: “The first charm of these so-called geometric paintings is the accident, that is to say, what is not geometry.”
This way of combining mathematical precision with artistic freedom has influenced several generations of creators, far beyond the movements of Constructed Art and Kinetic Art.
Vera Molnar: A Free, Sensitive and Experimental Approach to Geometry
A pioneering artist in geometric abstract art and digital art, Vera Molnar (1924–2023) shared with François Morellet a fascination with systems, permutations and the infinite possibilities offered by elementary forms.
Her work explores the relationships between order and disorder, rigour and intuition, programming and the unexpected. From an early stage, she used systematic protocols to produce variations on simple forms, particularly the square, the line and the grid.
But, as with Morellet, the rule is never an end in itself. It becomes a starting point for experimentation, distortion, displacement and transformation.
Vera Molnar was notably one of the first artists to use computers as a creative tool, as early as the 1960s. This approach enabled her to methodically explore formal variations and introduce deliberate disruptions into initially ordered compositions.
Her vision of art is summed up in this particularly illuminating statement: “Art is a flaw in the system.” A phrase that could just as easily define an essential aspect of François Morellet’s artistic approach.
The Letter M: A Meeting of Two Artistic Sensibilities
In the exhibition “5 Mo”, the connection between François Morellet and Vera Molnar takes on a particularly playful dimension. It begins almost as a game: the five artists brought together share the same first two letters of their surnames. An intentionally arbitrary alphabetical rule that echoes Morellet’s fondness for constraints, wordplay and unexpected associations.
Yet this coincidence quickly becomes a genuine artistic proposition.
François Morellet and Vera Molnar shared a close friendship. They had a common interest in mathematics, systems, geometric structures and the relationships between language and image.
The letter M also occupies a special place in Vera Molnar’s artistic investigations. Through her experiments with this letter, she explores the relationships between typography, abstraction and artistic identity.
Her “Molndrian” series and her artist’s book M (2007) bear witness to this research. The letter becomes a form in its own right, a field for variations and transformations.
This encounter between Molnar’s M and Morellet’s M thus gives rise to a dialogue that is both playful and profound, where alphabetical chance meets some of the most fundamental concerns of artistic practice.
Five Artists, a Shared Freedom in Their Approach to Rules
While François Morellet and Vera Molnar provide the central thread running through this exhibition, the three other artists offer particularly interesting extensions and counterpoints.
- Charles-Henri Monvert explores colour relationships, grids and patterns, while questioning how the legacy of geometric abstraction can be renewed.
- Jacques Monory introduces a figurative, narrative and critical dimension. His world, often characterised by the colour blue and cinematic references, may seem far removed from Morellet’s, yet their works share a reflection on signs, conventions and systems of representation.
- Bernard Moninot develops an artistic investigation into immateriality, perception and visual phenomena, in which geometry becomes a space for poetic experimentation.
The connection between these five artists is therefore not based on their belonging to a single artistic movement, but on a multitude of correspondences, echoes and contrasts.
Accident, Chance and the Poetry of Constraint
One of the great original features of “5 Mo” lies in the way it questions the boundaries between abstraction and figuration.
In François Morellet’s work, geometry can never be fully represented: it only reveals itself through forms, lines and accidents.
In Vera Molnar’s work, the system is also a field for experimentation. A slight disruption, a displacement or a variation is enough to transform a composition and give it a new expressive dimension.
In Jacques Monory’s work, figuration itself is traversed by geometric elements, particularly the cross, which becomes at once a sign, a motif and a structural element of the image.
These connections reveal a shared idea: art does not necessarily consist in applying rules, but rather in exploring everything that can escape them.
It is precisely within this space of freedom that the works of these five artists resonate with one another.
An Exhibition to Discover at MAC VAL
With “5 Mo”, MAC VAL offers an original interpretation of François Morellet’s legacy on the occasion of the centenary of his birth.
By choosing to bring together artists whose surnames begin with “Mo”, curator Nicolas Surlapierre playfully revisits one of Morellet’s favourite concerns: playing with constraints and arbitrary associations.
This principle, which might seem anecdotal, becomes the driving force behind a fascinating reflection on artistic lineages, formal correspondences and the sometimes unpredictable paths of creativity.
Vera Molnar’s presence gives this exhibition a particularly distinctive resonance. Their friendship, shared explorations and inventive approach to geometry allow visitors to discover two singular yet deeply interconnected artistic practices.
An exhibition that reminds us that behind the most rigorous systems often lie humour, freedom and the pleasure of experimentation.
Practical Information
Exhibition: “5 Mo” – Morellet, Monvert, Monory, Moninot, Molnar
Venue: MAC VAL – Museum of Contemporary Art of Val-de-Marne
Dates: 20 November 2026 to 25 April 2027
Opening reception: Thursday 19 November 2026 at 7 pm
Curator: Nicolas Surlapierre, Director of MAC VAL
Address:
MAC VAL – Museum of Contemporary Art of Val-de-Marne
Place de la Libération – 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
This exhibition, conceived as a tribute, is organised as part of the “Constellation” programme and the 2025–2029 partnership between the Centre Pompidou and MAC VAL, initiated by the Centre Pompidou, the Estate and the François Morellet Endowment Fund.
