TOULOUSE.- Taking its title from the book written in 1934 by art historian Henri Focillon, this exhibition is built on the assumption of an independent life of forms, a development produced in the Abattoirs by interposing works to the point of exceeding physical barriers. Outside the building, sculptures by Bernar Venet and Franz West - one focusing on mathematical development, the other on organic growth - serve as an introduction to the concept.

The Abattoirs' function is its capacity to accommodate artists, works and the public to witness a movement that goes beyond mere unity of place. Newly reopened, the Abattoirs space unveils all its potential.

“This exhibition constructs itself on the hypothesis of an autonomous life of the forms, a growth that would develop within the Abattoirs through interposed works until physical frontiers are transcended.”

The museum’s vocation is the conservation and the enlargment of the collection, which is the privileged medium for cultural and educational actions. The temporary exhibitions promote discovery, innovation and research. Exhibitions are also organised with the collaboration of the region’s museums and art centres.

Research is an important part of the museum’s missions; It includes the collection’s archiving, the conservation and management of photographic reproductions.. Also, the collection is now available for consultation on our website as well as a database dedicated to regional artists and cultural events.

The library is specialised in 20th and 21st century art and has over 17 000 multimedia documents that can be consulted onsite. It features a children’s library, a multimedia room, a main reading room and a children’s reading room. There are several workshops each week and school groups are welcome.

Although the stage curtain created by Pablo Picasso for the 14 July 1936, The Remains of Minotaure in Harlequin's costume is one of the most monumental works, the collection counts over 2 000 objects (drawings, paintings, photographs and reliefs) which is panorama for many of the artistic trends born after the Second World War in the United States, Europe and the Far East.

Abstract expressionism, lyrical art and tachisme, outsider art, Art Informel, El Paso, Cobra, Gitaï, spacialism, Figuration Libre are all represented. The museum's collection is also open to contemporary art creations.