Michael Baumgartner Knihy

This generously illustrated, expertly annotated publication presents all the riches of Paul Klee’s floral paintings, works by an artist whom the natural world provided an inexhaustible source of inspiration.

Der handliche Kurzführer ist ein 'Muss' für alle Besucher des Zentrum Paul Klee: Großzügig bebildert und leicht verständlich geschrieben, führt er in kompakter Form durch Leben und Werk von Paul Klee, lässt die zahlreichen Höhepunkte der Sammlung Revue passieren, beschreibt die außergewöhnliche Architektur von Renzo Piano und berichtet über die vielfältigen Aktivitäten des Museums. Der informative Band bereitet Sie damit bestens auf einen Besuch des Zentrum Paul Klee vor, zugleich ist er - nach einem Aufenthalt in Bern - ein attraktives Souvenir zu einem günstigen Preis. (Deutsche Ausgabe erhältlich ISBN 3-7757-1535-5; französische Ausgabe erhältlich ISBN 3-7757-1537-1; italienische Ausgabe erhältlich ISBN 3-7757-1538-X)

The point of departure for the present publication is the strikingly innovative artistic spirit of the Russian avant-garde, along with the "Socialist Realism" that became established after the revolution. It addresses the radical conceptions of the revolutionary artistic movements of the early 20th century and their significance for the breakthroughs to abstraction and Constructivism. It also traces the implications and the traces of "Socialist Realism" as an ideologically motivated pictorial formula up to the present day. Also investigated is the actuality and viability of revolutionary ideas and art with reference to numerous examples of both abstract and representational art. For those interested in the works and ideas of these movements, and in the artistic consequences of the October Revolution in general, this sumptuous publication offers fascinating insights and a comprehensive overview.

Paul Klee (1879–1940) is one of the most important representatives of modern art. His oeuvre is as universal as it is individual, standing tall among all of the currents and “isms” of his day. His overwhelming body of paintings, drawings, and other visual works; his letters, journal entries, and, last but not least, his teaching notes form the background for this pointed depiction of the life and work of the meditative artist and visual thinker. This richly illustrated volume traces Klee’s eventful biography, ranging from his artistic beginnings with caricature-like drawings and nudes, his encounter with the avant-garde and the famous watercolors from his journey to Tunisia, the abstract color compositions from the Bauhaus era, to the mysterious, inventive images of his last years in Bern.

With their pioneering method using dots, the artists of Pointillism no longer directed their gaze only towards the imitation of reality. In their paintings between 1886 and 1930 their dots, colour and light assumed an independent existence to create masterpieces of unprecedented brightness and colour diversity. The works by the inventors of this technique, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, marked the beginning of this exuberant outburst of colour. Works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Carlo Carrá, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Piet Mondrian and Paul Klee demonstrate how artists made a study of Pointillism during the 20th century. Vincent van Gogh contributed to the way that modernist painters abandoned Pointillism. More than 100 selected works, including paintings, watercolours and drawings, illuminate the dawn of a new era which this art movement was responsible for bringing about: the beginning of modern painting.

Franz Marc und Paul Klee, bedeutende Avantgarde-Künstler des 20. Jahrhunderts, verband eine enge Freundschaft, die trotz Marcs frühem Tod im Ersten Weltkrieg von großer Bedeutung war. Eine Ausstellung dokumentiert ihre Beziehung, inklusive Briefe, Geschenke und gemeinsame Projekte, ergänzt durch Fachaufsätze.

Trad. française: Zentrum Paul Klee, Berne. - Engl. Übers.: Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern.