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  • J.M.W. Turner
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DON'T MISS

Exhibition

Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals

Tate Britain
Until 12 Apr 2026
Exhibition

Theatre Picasso

Tate Modern
Until 12 Apr 2026
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Paul Klee

1879–1940

Ships in the Dark 1927
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In Tate Modern

In the Studio

Free

Biography

Paul Klee (German: [paʊ̯l ˈkleː]; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism.

Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually deeply explored color theory, writing about it extensively. His lectures Writings on Form and Design Theory (Schriften zur Form und Gestaltungslehre), published in English as the Paul Klee Notebooks, are held to be as important for modern art as Leonardo da Vinci's A Treatise on Painting was for the Renaissance.

He and his colleague, Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, both taught at the Bauhaus school of art, design and architecture in Germany. His works reflect his dry humor and his sometimes childlike perspective, his personal moods and beliefs, and his musicality.

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Bauhaus

Artworks

Left Right

Ships in the Dark

Paul Klee
1927
On display at Tate Modern part of In the Studio

The Castle Mountain of S.

Paul Klee
1930

Comedy

Paul Klee
1921

They’re Biting

Paul Klee
1920

A Young Lady’s Adventure

Paul Klee
1922

Walpurgis Night

Paul Klee
1935

The Protector

Paul Klee
1926

Seaside Resort in the South of France

Paul Klee
1927
See all 10

Stories

TateShots

Faris Badwan on Paul Klee

TateShots

Paul Klee: Making Visible

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MixTate: Shcaa on Paul Klee

Exhibition Guide

Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and The Blue Rider

Inspired by

Project Art Works: The Blue Rider Residency 2024

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