With the establishment in 1979 of the biennial public Mondriaan lecture, Sikkens Foundation has been able to contribute to the debate about the cultural meaning of colour. Specific attention is paid to the way in which colour, the generation of colour and colour theory are dealt with and thought about in art, science and technology. Linking the lecture to the name of Piet Mondriaan was primarily intended as a homage to the artist but also expressed the idea that the Foundation wished to devote enduring attention to issues in modern art raised by Mondriaan at an early stage in his works and his theoretical dissertations. The immediate aim of the Piet Mondriaan lecture was to bring about inspiring confrontations between Dutch cultural life on the one hand and domestic and foreign scientific practitioners and artists on the other.