Theo Van Doesburg (1883-1931)

Between October 1918 and March 1919 Van Doesburg produced two designs for stained glass windows to go above the front doors of the Rotterdam Spangen housing project - blocks I and V were designed by the architect J.J.P. Oud. Van Doesburg settled on two designs titled Composition VIII (the present lot), and Composition IX - both were based on abstracted views from the artist's studio on the Kort Galgewater in Leiden. Five colour variations of Composition VIII are known. The windows were produced by the Atelier J.W. Gips in The Hague and were arranged above the doors in a series of cyclical shifts.