Although the three prominent modernist artists Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Barnett Newman (1905-1970), and Dan Flavin (1933-1996) each belong to a different generation, all of them have devoted their creativity to abstract art in groundbreaking ways. Under various intellectual and social auspices they relied upon ascetics in their unheard-of radical dealings with art. Using pure color, concrete form, and new materials, they expanded the dimensions of art into the universal. This volume appears in conjunction with a large, special exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel, and features each of the three artists in chronological order, so that the sequencing gives rise to enlightening nexuses. The book presents masterpieces, while juxtaposing seldom-seen works. (German edition ISBN 978-3-7757-3684-8) Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseum Basel, September 8, 2013-January 19, 2014