The Sphinx

The Sphinx is a former artists' association in Leiden. Among the founders was Theo van Doesburg, who also gave a lecture for the Sphinx called 'The development of painting from Cimabue to Kandinsky'. Painting from the 13th century was much admired by the painting group De Sphinx, but the group drew a lot of inspiration especially from the French artists of the 19th century. The organization has also organized at least one exhibition. The Sphinx fell apart when it turned out that the members had too few shared ambitions. Doesburg aimed for an abstract approach, while a large number of members continued to paint in the Impressionist style. From 1917, Doesburg would mainly focus on De Stijl.