The term "transatlantic paintings" refers to a group of 17 works that Mondrian started (and in some cases finished) in Europe between 1935 and 1940, and finished (or refinished) in New York after his arrival there in the fall of 1940. Many of Mondrian's works crossed the ocean during his lifetime, but the seventeen transatlantic paintings are the only ones he worked on in both Europe and America. And since his art was undergoing a profound change in New York, they have a kind of split personality, which is reflected in Mondrian's decision to inscribe two dates on each one of them.
This "schizoid" status has contributed to the relative neglect of the transatlantic paintings, but it is also what makes them so interesting.
