The late 1940s and 1950s were marked by the innovations of abstract art: expressive, lyrical and ready with the new-found freedoms of the post-war era.

Figurative art was equally buoyant and lively in Paris at that time. Artists such as Pablo Picasso and Fernand Leger continued to be innovative and inspired new generations of artists.

Other artists such as Balthus and Marino Marini drew inspiration from a part world of Old Masters and classical antiquity. Other featured artists in this display are Jean Dubuffet, Germaine Richier, Giorgio Morandi and Jankel Adler.