From 27 June to 15 November 2026, the Fondation Maeght will present a major exhibition devoted to the American artist Ellsworth Kelly. Ellsworth Kelly – At the Edge of Water, curated by Éric de Chassey, explores for the first time the role of water in Kelly’s work, offering a new perspective on both his practice and his working method.

A major figure in American art, Kelly (1923–2015) is renowned for his large-scale abstract works, which maintain a precise relationship with the visible world. Throughout his life he was drawn to aquatic environments — from Belle-Île and the Côte d’Azur to New York and the Caribbean — where experiences of looking at water gave rise to drawings, collages, paintings and sculptures. Rather than depicting landscapes, Kelly translated the perception of water itself: its shifting colour, light and surface.

The exhibition also recalls Kelly’s early and lasting connection with the Maeght family. After returning to France in 1948, he exhibited at Galerie Maeght in Paris and stayed regularly with the family in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, forging a friendship with Adrien Maeght that continued throughout his life.

Ellsworth Kelly, Long Bay Beach (study for White and Dark Gray Panels I), 1977, postcard collage, 9.8 × 14.9 cm, © Ellsworth Kelly Studio.