Work

Circa 1950. Cover of Constant's Artiste libre of Bibliotèque d'Alexandrie from 1950.

Drawn on the inside of Bibliothèque de Cobra | Constant, ca 1950.

This work was painted in Amsterdam and its original title was ‘A Nous la Liberté'. In a letter to the curator of the Tate Modern, dated 6 February 1988 Constant recalled the ‘general mood' from which the painting emerged and explained why the title was later changed:

After the five years of the German Occupation, during which hardly any work of other painters was to be seen, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam organised a large show of contemporary Dutch art, entitled ‘Kunst in vryheid' (Art in freedom).

This huge painting "Barricade" [372 × 300 cm] was made in 1949 for the exhibition International Exhibition of Experimental Art' at Stedelik Museum Amsterdam.

Materials for this and other works by fellow Cobra artists, were provided by the museum, as the artists couldn't afford them. Due to its large size and since Constant was unable to pay back the 100 guilders he was due for the materials, the painting stayed at the museum.

Donated to Stedelijk Museum Schiedam by Hans Sonnenberg in 2016.