Frieze Masters: Paul Klee

Frieze Masters
Paul Klee

A portrait of Paul Klee in his studio.

Paul Klee in his atelier, Kistlerweg 6, Bern, April (Easter) 1938, © Klee-Nachlassverwaltung, Hinterkappelen

Paul Klee in his atelier, Kistlerweg 6, Bern, April (Easter) 1938, © Klee-Nachlassverwaltung, Hinterkappelen

David Zwirner is pleased to participate in the Frieze Masters Viewing Room with a presentation of late works by the Bauhaus master, Paul Klee. The works, which are highly diaristic and personal, highlight the diversity of Klee's practice and his skill as a colourist. Ranging in subject matter and style, the works all testify to Klee's restless drive to experiment with forms and materials, resulting in surfaces that are tactile, original and visually striking.
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Ort der Verabredung (Meeting place), dated 1932.

Paul Klee

Ort der Verabredung (Meeting place), 1932
Watercolor and oil on plywood on wooden strips, covered with gauze at the edges
12 1/8 x 19 1/8 inches
30.8 x 48.5 cm
Framed: 12 3/4 x 19 5/8 inches
32.3 x 50 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled. Garten in der Ebene (Garden in the plain), dated 1925.

Paul Klee

Garten in der Ebene (Garden in the plain), 1925
Oil on black primed paper with gouache and pen border on cardboard
9 3/8 x 16 1/8 inches
23.9 x 41 cm
Framed: 18 1/8 x 24 5/8 inches
46.1 x 62.6 cm
Detail of a work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Garten in der Ebene (Garden in the plain), dated 1925.
“Art is like Creation: it holds good on the last day as on the first.” —The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898–1918
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled fällt ins Gewicht (Weighty), dated 1939

Paul Klee

fällt ins Gewicht (Weighty), 1939
Pencil on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 11 5/8 x 8 1/8 inches
29.5 x 20.7 cm
Cardboard: 19 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches
50 x 35 cm
Framed: 21 7/8 x 15 7/8 inches
55.6 x 40.3 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Folter (Torture), dated 1938.

Paul Klee

Folter (Torture), 1938
Colored paste and watercolor on primer and cardboard
11 3/4 x 10 5/8 inches
30 x 27 cm
Framed: 18 3/8 x 17 3/8 inches
46.6 x 44.2 cm
“Klee’s art is so unique because he can make a complete composition out of accidents, of oddities, which neither obeys the Renaissance nor the classical models....Every work is both fragment and whole.”—Dawn Ades, Paul Klee’s Late Work, Paul Klee: 1939
Detail of a work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Masken Im Zwielicht (Masks at twilight), dated 1938.
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Masken Im Zwielicht (Masks at twilight), dated 1938.

Paul Klee

Masken Im Zwielicht (Masks at twilight), 1938
Colored paste on cardboard on second cardboard
19 x 13 5/8 inches
(48.3 x 34.7 cm)
Framed: 23 x 17 3/4 inches
(58.5 x 45 cm)

Paul Klee

Besessen (Possessed), 1939
Watercolor, tempera, and pencil on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 10 5/8 x 8 1/2 inches
27 x 21.5 cm
Cardboard: 17 7/8 x 13 3/4 inches
45.5 x 35 cm
Framed: 20 1/8 x 15 7/8 inches
51.1 x 40.3 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled figuren am Strand (Figures on the beach), dated 1933.

Paul Klee

figuren am Strand (Figures on the beach), 1933
Colored paste on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 8 1/4 x 12 7/8 inches
21 x 32.8 cm
Cardboard: 12 3/4 x 18 3/4 inches
32.5 x 47.5 cm
Framed: 14 7/8 x 21 inches
37.8 x 53.3 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled es kommt noch mehr (There is more to come), dated 1939.

Paul Klee

es kommt noch mehr (There is more to come), 1939
Pencil on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 11 3/4 x 8 1/4 inches
29.7 x 20.9 cm
Cardboard: 19 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches
50 x 35 cm
Framed: 21 7/8 x 15 7/8 inches
55.6 x 40.3 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Schema eines Kampfes (Diagram of a fight), dated 1939.

Paul Klee

Schema eines Kampfes (Diagram of a fight), 1939
Grease crayon and pencil on primed paper on cardboard
Sheet: 10 5/8-10 7/8 x 10 5/8-10 3/4 inches
26.9/27.3 x 27.1/27.5 cm
Cardboard: 19 1/8 x 25 5/8 inches
48.5 x 65 cm
Framed: 21 1/4 x 27 3/4 inches
54 x 70.5 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled erzwungener Ausweg (Forced way out), dated 1934.

Paul Klee

erzwungener Ausweg (Forced way out), 1934
Red chalk and pencil on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 16 1/2-16 5/8 x 12 3/8-13 1/2 inches
41.8/42.2 x 31.4/34.2 cm
Cardboard: 27 1/8 x 18 3/4 inches
68.8 x 47.5 cm
Framed: 29 1/4 x 21 inches
74.3 x 53.3 cm
“Klee managed the seemingly impossible. Out of the physical and emotional suffering of his exile he took his art through a final metamorphosis, achieved one last pinnacle. Like only Matisse and Picasso among modern artists, Klee created a late work of singular rank.” —Matthias Bärmann, Erfüllung im Spätwerk
A mixed media work on canvas by Paul Klee, titled Ohne Titel (Gitter und Schlangenlinien um "T") (Untitled [Grids and Wavy Lines Around "T"), circa 1939.

Paul Klee

Ohne Titel (Gitter und Schlangenlinien um "T") (Untitled [Grids and wavy lines around "T"]), c. 1939
Oil and colored paste on canvas
22 1/4 x 9 7/8 inches
56.5 x 25 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Blumen auf dem Balkon (Flowers on the balcony), dated 1935.

Paul Klee

Blumen auf dem Balkon (Flowers on the balcony), 1935
Watercolor on paper on cardboard
11 3/4 x 18 1/2 inches
30 x 47 cm
Framed: 20 7/8 x 26 7/8 inches
53 x 68.5 cm
Detail of a work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Blumen auf dem Balkon (Flowers on the balcony), dated 1935.
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Maske "nach dem Verlust" (Mask: After the Loss), dated 1938.

Paul Klee

Maske "nach dem Verlust" (Mask "after the loss"), 1938
Colored paste on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches
26.8 x 20.9 cm
Cardboard: 19 5/8 x 13 7/8 inches
50 x 35.2 cm
Framed: 21 3/4 x 16 inches
55.2 x 40.6 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Zwei Dürstende (Two thirsty people), dated 1940.

Paul Klee

Zwei Dürstende (Two thirsty people), 1940
Colored paste and pen on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 17 3/8 x 17 3/8 inches
44 x 44 cm
Cardboard: 18 7/8 x 22 1/2 inches
48 x 57 cm
Framed: 21 1/8 x 24 7/8 inches
53.7 x 63.2 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Mutter und Kind (Mother and child), dated 1939.

Paul Klee

Mutter und Kind (Mother and child), 1939
Pencil on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 16 7/8 x 10 5/8 inches
43 x 27 cm
Cardboard: 19 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches
50 x 35 cm
Framed: 21 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches
55.6 x 40 x 3.8 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled Kämpft mit sich selber (Struggles with himself), dated 1939.

Paul Klee

Kämpft mit sich selber (Struggles with himself), 1939
Watercolor, grease crayon, and pencil on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 11 5/8 x 8 1/8 inches
29.5 x 20.6 cm
Cardboard: 19 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches
50 x 35 cm
Framed: 21 3/4 x 15 7/8 inches
55.2 x 40.3 cm
A work on paper by Paul Klee, titled wilder Mann (Wild man), dated 1939.

Paul Klee

wilder Mann (Wild man), 1939
Colored paste, crayon, and watercolor on paper on cardboard
Sheet: 11 1/2 x 8 1/8 inches
29.3 x 20.7 cm
Cardboard: 17 7/8 x 13 3/4 inches
45.5 x 35 cm
Framed: 20 1/4 x 15 7/8 inches
51.4 x 40.3 cm
A detail of a painting by Paul Klee, titled wilder Mann (Wild man), dated 1939.
Movement in the process of ‘form-creation’ was a constant preoccupation of Klee’s, including all aspects of movement—both that of the object in question, and also that of the ‘reading eye.’”—Dawn Ades, Paul Klee’s Late Work, Paul Klee: 1939
A photo of Paul Klee's studio.
Inquire about works from Frieze Masters
Get in touch

    Read More Read Less

      Read More Read Less

        Read More Read Less

          Read More Read Less