Paul Klee: A Play of Forms at Albertina, Graphische Sammlung on artrepublic.com
Exhibition running from May 09 2008
until Aug 10 2008
The Albertina presents a comprehensive Paul Klee retrospective. The starting point of the exhibition will be Carl Djerassi’s important gift to the Albertina of works by Paul Klee. Additional exhibits from the holdings of the Albertina, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and other international collections and museums will show this important collection in the context of the exceptional creativity of Paul Klee. The German-Swiss painter and graphic artist Paul Klee (1879–1940) was one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic artistic personalities of classical modern art. His fascinating oeuvre – positioned on the interface between representational and abstract art - interweaves aspects of visual reality and surreal-poetic images to form complex pictures, often with enigmatic allegorical allusions. In addition, there are works whose pictorial architecture places elementary forms of geometry and formal compositional considerations in the forefront, without losing sight of the inner poetry of the picture. Paul Klee influenced many artists – including subsequent generations of artists – especially through his teaching activities at the Bauhaus (1921–1931) and his theory of art, which he presented in a number of essays and writings. Carl Djerassi, professor of chemistry emeritus and world famous as the father of “the pill”, began compiling his Klee collection more than 30 years ago. Since the 1980s the Carl Djerassi Collection has been housed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. More than 65 works, an important part of this remarkable collection, have now come to the Albertina – thanks to the generosity of Carl Djerassi. His collection, which focuses on Klee’s graphical works, provides extraordinary insights into the complexity of his oeuvre. The drawings, watercolours, gouaches and graphic prints extend from the early work to the powerful and monumental creations of the artist’s last years. OPENING HOURS: Daily: 10.00 - 18.00, Wed: 10.00 - 21.00 Image Credits: Image 1: Paul Klee, Blue Coat, 1940,7, Oil and pigmented wax on paper, © VBK Wien, 2008, Albertina, Wien - Promised gift of the Carl Djerassi Art Trust II Image 2: Paul Klee, Abstraction of a Motif from Hammamet, 1914, 49, Watercolour and pencil on paper on cardboard © VBK Vienna, 2008 Albertina, On permanent loan from the Forberg Collection Image 3: Paul Klee, Fata Morgana at Sea, 1918, 12, Watercolour and pen on paper on cardboard © VBK Vienna, 2008 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - extended loan and promised gift of the Carl Djerassi Art Trust I  |
