The Night
- Artist: Pierre Alechinsky
- Date: 1952
- Medium: Etching on paper
- Dimensions: image: 234 x 307 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is "The Night" by Pierre Alechinsky. Painted in 1952 as an etching on paper, it shows the CoBrA group's bold, spontaneous spirit. Alechinsky was fascinated by handwritten marks and Japanese calligraphers, and that influence is visible in the swirling white strokes against a deep black background. The piece feels like a calligraphic gesture that moves across the page, as if the artist had sketched directly onto the floor before transferring the idea to paper. Only sixteen copies were made, and the print bears his signature and a note, “La Nuit 6/16.” It’s a striking example of how abstract, gestural work can still echo ancient scripts and the night’s quiet mystery.
See it in person
The Night is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
