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German Expressionism

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THE COLLECTION

Paul Klee

German, born Switzerland. 1879–1940

Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011

Painter, draftsman, printmaker, theoretician. Raised in Bern, then studied art in Munich, settling there in 1906. In 1911 met August Macke as well as Vasily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, who included him the following year in the almanac Der Blaue Reiter and the group's second exhibition. Prior to 1914 concentrated mostly on black-and-white prints and drawings. A trip to Tunisia with Macke and Swiss painter Louis Moilliet in 1914 provided a breakthrough that enabled him to begin working with color, first in watercolor and then oil, and to synthesize recent developments in abstraction with his own highly personal and imaginative vision. Extraordinarily prolific and inventive, his work was often small in scale with a lyricism and humor that reflected his interest in the art of children and the insane. Served in the German army from 1916 to 1918, but never saw action on front. From 1921 to 1931, taught at the Bauhaus; left there to teach at Düsseldorf Academy; Nazis dismissed him from post in 1933, and he emigrated to Bern.

Made 109 prints in total. Before the war, most were etchings printed in only a few proofs each; from 1919 to 1925 worked in lithography, often produced in larger editions as commissions for group portfolios, periodicals, and books; then from 1928 to 1932 resumed etching before ceasing printmaking entirely.

Nazis declared him degenerate and seized 102 works from German collections.

Selected Bibliography

Anger, Jenny. Paul Klee and the Decorative in Modern Art. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Glaesemer, Jürgen. Paul Klee: Handzeichnungen. 3 vols. Bern: Kunstmuseum Berne, 1973–84.

Geelhaar, Christian, et al. The Graphic Legacy of Paul Klee. Exh. cat. Annadale on-Hudson, NY: Bard College, 1983.

Helfenstein, Josef, and Christian Rümelin, eds. Paul Klee: Catalogue Raisonné. 9 vols. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1999–2004.

Kornfeld, Eberhard W. Verzeichnis des graphischen Werkes von Paul Klee. 2nd rev. ed. Bern: Kornfeld, 2005.

Lanchner, Carolyn, ed. Paul Klee. Exh. cat. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1987.

Heather Hess

Published by Paul Klee

  • Paul Klee. Virgin in the Tree (Jungfrau im Baum) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1903
    Paul Klee
    Virgin in the Tree (Jungfrau im Baum) from the...
    1903
    Paul Klee. Virgin in the Tree (Jungfrau im Baum) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1903
  • Paul Klee. Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to Be of Higher Rank (Zwei Männer, einander in höherer Stellung vermutend, begegnen sich) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1903
    Paul Klee
    Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to Be of...
    1903
    Paul Klee. Two Men Meet, Each Believing the Other to Be of Higher Rank (Zwei Männer, einander in höherer Stellung vermutend, begegnen sich) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1903
  • Paul Klee. Comedian (Komiker) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1904
    Paul Klee
    Comedian (Komiker) from the series...
    1904
    Paul Klee. Comedian (Komiker) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1904
  • Paul Klee. A Man Sinking Before the Crown (Ein Mann versinkt vor der Krone) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1904
    Paul Klee
    A Man Sinking Before the Crown (Ein Mann versinkt...
    1904
    Paul Klee. A Man Sinking Before the Crown (Ein Mann versinkt vor der Krone) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1904
  • Paul Klee. Perseus (Wit Has Triumphed over Grief) (Perseus [Der Witz hat über das Leid gesiegt]) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1904
    Paul Klee
    Perseus (Wit Has Triumphed over Grief) (Perseus...
    1904
    Paul Klee. Perseus (Wit Has Triumphed over Grief) (Perseus [Der Witz hat über das Leid gesiegt]) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1904
  • Paul Klee. Menacing Head (Drohendes Haupt) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1905
    Paul Klee
    Menacing Head (Drohendes Haupt) from the...
    1905
    Paul Klee. Menacing Head (Drohendes Haupt) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1905
  • Paul Klee. Der Held mit dem Flügel (The Hero with the Wing) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1905
    Paul Klee
    Der Held mit dem Flügel (The Hero with the...
    1905
    Paul Klee. Der Held mit dem Flügel (The Hero with the Wing) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1905
  • Paul Klee. Aged Phoenix (Greiser Phoenix) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1905
    Paul Klee
    Aged Phoenix (Greiser Phoenix) from the...
    1905
    Paul Klee. Aged Phoenix (Greiser Phoenix) from the series Inventions (Inventionen). 1905
  • Paul Klee. Railroad Station (Bahnhof). 1911
    Paul Klee
    Railroad Station (Bahnhof)
    1911
    Paul Klee. Railroad Station (Bahnhof). 1911
  • Paul Klee. At the Window (Am Fenster). 1912
    Paul Klee
    At the Window (Am Fenster)
    1912
    Paul Klee. At the Window (Am Fenster). 1912
  • Paul Klee. Street Children (Gassenkinder). 1912
    Paul Klee
    Street Children (Gassenkinder)
    1912
    Paul Klee. Street Children (Gassenkinder). 1912
  • Paul Klee. Tragedy on Stilts (Tragödie auf Stelzen). 1912
    Paul Klee
    Tragedy on Stilts (Tragödie auf Stelzen)
    1912
    Paul Klee. Tragedy on Stilts (Tragödie auf Stelzen). 1912
  • Paul Klee. Street Children (Gassenkinder). 1912
    Paul Klee
    Street Children (Gassenkinder)
    1912
    Paul Klee. Street Children (Gassenkinder). 1912
  • Paul Klee. Little Castle in the Air (Luftschlösschen). 1915
    Paul Klee
    Little Castle in the Air (Luftschlösschen)
    1915
    Paul Klee. Little Castle in the Air (Luftschlösschen). 1915
  • Paul Klee , Munich. Reflecting Window (Spiegelndes Fenster). 1915
    Paul Klee , Munich
    Reflecting Window (Spiegelndes Fenster)
    1915
    Paul Klee , Munich. Reflecting Window (Spiegelndes Fenster). 1915
  • Paul Klee. Giant Aphid (Riesenblattlaus). (1920)
    Paul Klee
    Giant Aphid (Riesenblattlaus)
    (1920)
    Paul Klee. Giant Aphid (Riesenblattlaus). (1920)
  • Paul Klee. Steamer at Lugano (Dampfer vor Lugano). 1922
    Paul Klee
    Steamer at Lugano (Dampfer vor Lugano)
    1922
    Paul Klee. Steamer at Lugano (Dampfer vor Lugano). 1922
  • Paul Klee. Vulgar Comedy (Vulgäre Komödie). 1922
    Paul Klee
    Vulgar Comedy (Vulgäre Komödie)
    1922
    Paul Klee. Vulgar Comedy (Vulgäre Komödie). 1922
  • Paul Klee. Buffoonery (Narretei). 1922
    Paul Klee
    Buffoonery (Narretei)
    1922
    Paul Klee. Buffoonery (Narretei). 1922
  • Paul Klee. Singer of the Comic Opera (Die Sängerin der komischen Oper). 1925
    Paul Klee
    Singer of the Comic Opera (Die Sängerin der...
    1925
    Paul Klee. Singer of the Comic Opera (Die Sängerin der komischen Oper). 1925
  • Paul Klee. Juggler in April (Gaukler im April). 1928
    Paul Klee
    Juggler in April (Gaukler im April)
    1928
    Paul Klee. Juggler in April (Gaukler im April). 1928
  • Paul Klee. Height! (Höhe!). 1928
    Paul Klee
    Height! (Höhe!)
    1928
    Paul Klee. Height! (Höhe!). 1928
  • Paul Klee. Underbrush (Gestrüpp). 1928
    Paul Klee
    Underbrush (Gestrüpp)
    1928
    Paul Klee. Underbrush (Gestrüpp). 1928
  • Paul Klee. Prickle the Clown (Stachel der Clown). 1931
    Paul Klee
    Prickle the Clown (Stachel der Clown)
    1931
    Paul Klee. Prickle the Clown (Stachel der Clown). 1931
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