Paul Klee: 1939

In 1939, Paul Klee created his most surprising and innovative works, responding to personal difficulties and the broader realities of the era. His use of adhesive, grease, oil, chalk, and watercolor resulted in visually striking and highly tactile surfaces. Renowned art historian Dawn Ades looks at these drawings in the context of their time and as indicative of a pivotal moment in art history. American artist Richard Tuttle responds to specific works in the form of a dialogical poem. This publication highlights the novelty and ingenuity of Klee's late works, which deeply affected the generation of artists that emerged after World War II and continues to captivate artists and viewers alike today.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 17 June 2021
Publisher: David Zwirner

In 1939, the year before his untimely passing from a protracted illness, and amidst a turbulent sociopolitical landscape and the onset of World War II, Paul Klee embarked on a remarkable artistic journey that yielded some of his most surprising and innovative works. This book sheds light on the artist's response to both his personal challenges and the broader realities of the era through imagery that is relentlessly inventive, oscillating between political, solemn, playful, humorous, and poetic. The featured artworks serve as a testament to Klee's unwavering pursuit of experimentation with form and material. His use of adhesive, grease, oil, chalk, and watercolor, among other media, resulted in surfaces that are not only visually striking but also highly tactile and original. Much like a diary, the drawings often serve as meditative reflections on the joys and sorrows of life, with titles such as "Monsters in readiness" and "Struggles with himself" revealing Klee's state of mind. Renowned art historian Dawn Ades contextualizes this collection of drawings within the historical context of their time and as a significant moment in art history. Moved by this late period of Klee's oeuvre, American artist Richard Tuttle responds to specific works through a dialogical poem, further amplifying the novelty and ingenuity of Klee's late works. This captivating publication showcases the profound impact of Klee's late works on the generation of artists that emerged after World War II, including Anni Albers, Jean Dubuffet, Mark Tobey, and Zao Wou-Ki, and continues to captivate artists and viewers alike today.

Weight: 1064g
Dimension: 227 x 288 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781644230381