Aubette 1928, Introduction

The "Aubette" is famous the world over for its outstanding interior decor, executed in 1928 by Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Jean Arp and Theo van Doesburg. Considered a major reference in 20th century art, it is probably one of the most daring avant-garde achievements of the 1920s.

In 1926, the architect Theo van Doesburg was called to Strasbourg by the artists Jean Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp to help set up the Aubette leisure complex, planned by the Horn brothers. He designed the site as a total work of art, applying the principles of the De Stijl movement, jointly launched with the painter Piet Mondrian.

Forms and colours play a fundamental structuring role in the building's architecture. This "artwork" was inaugurated with pomp on February 28, 1928 but, from its early years, the decorations were considered too daring for the time and were partially modified, before being largely destroyed from the end of the 1930s.

After an initial phase of partial restoration in 1985, the City of Strasbourg decided in 2006 on complete restoration of the first floor, in the meantime listed as a historic monument, before finally opening it to the public.