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Paul Klee

1879–1940

Ships in the Dark 1927
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In Tate Modern

In the Studio

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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

Film and audio

  • TateShots

    Faris Badwan on Paul Klee

  • TateShots

    Paul Klee: Making Visible

  • Playlist

    MixTate: Shcaa on Paul Klee

Features

  • Exhibition Guide

    Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and The Blue Rider

  • Inspired by

    Project Art Works: The Blue Rider Residency 2024

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