PAUL KLEE. Fire at Full Moon, 1933. PHOTOS: All photos courtesy Tate Gallery.

Without any doubt, he is one of the principal visual artists of the turn of the century (19th -20th), his works, which are still on display at the Tate regale guests with a selection of paintings, drawings and watercolors on loan, from private and public collections from around the world, making it the most significant exhibit of the artist’s work since his death in 1940.

The exhibit, which is organized chronologically, begins with the period that marked the artist’s popularity during World War I. It was then that he developed his classic “magic squares,” abstract color mosaics that would later become a distinguishing characteristic of his pieces.

At the heart of the exhibit, pieces from his teaching years at the Bauhaus shine throughout the museum. During his time at Bauhaus, he created numerous abstract paintings, including the celebrated Afternoon Fire (1929).

Finally, the exhibit delves into his works created after 1930, when the Nazis dismissed him from his professorial duties and forced him into exile in Switzerland. All of his works were removed from German galleries for being considered “degenerate art.” This situation brought Klee to one of the most prolific moments of his life, which is brilliantly reflected throughout the exhibition.

PAUL KLEE. Comedy, 1921. PHOTOS: All photos courtesy Tate Gallery.

Another interesting fact about the exhibition is that it showcases works that were grouped together using the same criteria and instructions left by the artist himself, allowing guests to enjoy multiple messages, sensations and meanings that the artist wanted to convey. Although he described his art as a spontaneous creative process of growth and natural evolution, this exhibition allows the viewer to appreciate the stringency of his work.

Paul Klee Steps 1929. PHOTOS: All photos courtesy Tate Gallery.

The EY exhibition at London’s Tate Gallery is certainly a unique opportunity for the contemporary audience to view a broad sample of the artist’s work in one gallery and is a great precursor to his latest exhibition “Paul Klee: The Berggruen Collection from The Metropolitan Museum of Art,” being showcased at the National Gallery of Canada from November 16, 2018 to March 17, 2019.  

Klee’s meticulous yet whimsical approach to art-making in which color, expressiveness and poetry, is highlighted in this recent exhibition of 75 drawings, along with watercolors and paintings from the prestigious Berggruen Klee Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest collection of works by Paul Klee in North America, according the the gallery’s website.

This selection spans the artist’s entire career — from childhood, through his most prolific period as a teacher at the celebrated Bauhaus, to his death in 1940.

Learn more about this amazing artist and his works here and help wish Paul Klee a happy birthday by appreciating his art at these prestigious art institutions. ■

Related Articles:

Rodarte’s Exhibition Arrives at the National Museum of Women Artists of D.C.

The Dallas Arts District: A Unique Mix of Culture and Fun

Georg Baselitz and the art of painting a world “upside down”