These 17 paintings drawn from collections including the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art were started in Paris and London between 1935 and 1940. The paintings came with Mondrian on his journey to New York.

The artist arrived in the city in 1940, just four years before his death. Upon his arrival he was offered his first solo exhibition at the famed Valentine Gallery in New York city.

Without time to create new works for the exhibit and frustrated with works he had assumed finished, Mondrian took to revision his works.

He was not bashful about these efforts, often including a second date at the corner of his paintings. At some point before the exhibition, Mondrian decided his blues were too dark and unilaterally took to lightening them.

New York City’s dynamic culture reinvigorated an aging Mondrian. The “boogie woogie” jazz music of the era invaded Mondrian’s canvas, as he wished to add more vibrancy to his works. A display of the scientific studies aid in the process of his revision to the works and a computer kiosk station helps animate the changes.

The exhibit even reveals a Mondrian strapped for time, as close microscopic investigation reveals flecks of paint he missed in his efforts to scrape away a color. The exhibit reveals when Mondrian painted on wet surfaces and when he had the time to delicately restretch his canvases.

The paintings are all exhibited in one room, creating a dialogue between Mondrian’s manipulation of space and color. The intuitive perception of harmony and balance changes with each painting, underscoring the careful consideration Mondrian took with each element of his creations.