A central figure in the international avant-garde, Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) was both an exceptional painter and a leading art theorist whose influence resonates to this day. He pursued a style of painting consisting only of primary colors in a grid of black vertical and horizontal lines and a white background. Mondrian's vision was that this essential painting would help create a society where art has no position, but exists for the ultimate realization of "beauty." With residencies in Amsterdam, Paris, London, and New York, Mondrian drew inspiration from the modern metropolis and contemporary music, especially jazz. In 1917, he co-founded De Stijl, initially a publication and later a circle of practitioners, committed to a strictly geometric art of horizontal and vertical lines. With key works and concise texts, this introductory book presents Mondrian's distinct and pioneering work, a continuous source of inspiration for fashion, art, architecture, and design.