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REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, VENEZIA -- A major exhibition exploring the deep bond between painting and sound has opened at Fondazione Querini Stampalia. Titled The Invisible Chord: Hans Hartung and Music, the show runs from May 5 to September 13, 2026, and is curated by Thomas Schlesser. It is presented by Fondazione Querini Stampalia and Hartung-Bergman Foundation, in collaboration with the international gallery Perrotin.
Bringing together nearly 80 paintings, archival documents, and studio tools, the exhibition examines the central role of music in the creative universe of Hans Hartung, one of the most acclaimed European painters of the 20th century and a key figure of Art Informel.
Music was not a background presence in Hartung’s life. It was a necessity. A gifted pianist and dancer in his youth, he developed an almost obsessive devotion to sound. In a 1948 letter, fellow painter Pierre Soulages described how Hartung’s radio was constantly on, noting that moments of rest or work were nearly unbearable for him without music.
From the Baroque masterpieces of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel to the vibrant compositions of Antonio Vivaldi, Hartung painted to the rhythms of fugues, sarabandes, and concertos. He also listened closely to modern composers such as Lili Boulanger, Pierre Boulez, and Philip Glass, while later decades echoed with the experimental and psychedelic energies associated with Pink Floyd.
Unlike artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, who theorized about synesthesia and the relationship between color and sound, Hartung approached music in a direct and physical way. For him, it was intuitive and pragmatic. He famously believed that “the joy of living is inseparable from the joy of painting,” and for Hartung, painting itself was inseparable from music.
The Venice exhibition carries particular historical resonance. In 1960, Hartung was awarded the Grand International Prize for Painting at the Venice Biennale, a milestone that marked his rise to international prominence. That same year, he began experimenting more boldly, improvising directly on canvas and adopting fast-drying acrylic and vinyl paints, as well as scraping and spraying techniques.
A World War II amputee and a German resister to Nazism, Hartung infused his gestural abstraction with both personal and collective history. His works, often perceived as spontaneous and calligraphic, were also grounded in rational structure. Earlier in his career, he carefully scaled up small drawings onto canvas using grids, reflecting his interest in mathematics and proportion. Over time, he pursued technological innovation, designing custom tools and refining his techniques until his final days in Antibes, where he lived and worked.
The exhibition traces the origins of his musical passion through early works and rare archives, highlighting parallels between abstract painting and musical composition or orchestration. Visitors can also discover studio tools, archival documents, and films that immerse them in Hartung’s sonic world. A specially commissioned video presented at Riva Botta features composers, performers, and choreographers reflecting on his enduring influence.
Founded in 1869, the Querini Stampalia Foundation remains one of Italy’s most prestigious cultural institutions, dedicated to research, dialogue, and experimentation. With The Invisible Chord, it invites audiences to experience Hartung’s art not only as something to be seen, but as something to be heard, sensed, and felt beyond the visible surface of the canvas.
