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Paul Klee

German-Swiss artist (1879-1940) · Switzerland · Artists · Died at 60

Paul Klee is read about 1,321 times a day, in 75 languages.

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His paintings look like a child drew them - until you realize the child understood color theory better than most adults ever will. Klee turned deliberate simplicity into a language, one that art schools still teach from his notebooks the way Renaissance painters once studied Leonardo.

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A life in dates

1940Died29 June 19401901“Thoughts about the art of portraiture. Some will not recognize the truthfulness of my mirror.”In their wordsDiary entry (1901), # 136, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1964

“I am God / So much of the divine / is heaped in me / that I cannot die. My head burns to the point of bursting. One of the worlds / hidden in it / wants to be born.”In their wordsQuote (1901), # 155, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, translation: Pierre B. Schneider, R. Y. Zachary and Max Knight; publisher, University of

1900“Twenty-one years old! I never doubted my vital force. But how is it to fare with my chosen art?”In their wordsQuote (1900), # 121, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, translation: Pierre B. Schneider, R. Y. Zachary and Max Knight; publisher, University of

1899“The conviction that painting is the right profession grows stronger and stronger in me. Writing is the only other thing I still feel attracted to.”In their wordsQuote (1899), # 93, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, translation: Pierre B. Schneider, R. Y. Zachary and Max Knight; publisher, University of

1898“To be a student of Stuck [1898 - 1900] sounded good. In reality, however, it was not half so splendid.”In their wordsQuote (1900), # 121, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, translation: Pierre B. Schneider, R. Y. Zachary and Max Knight; publisher, University of

1897“As time passes I become more and more afraid of my growing love of music. I don’t understand myself. I play solo sonatas by Bach: next to them, what is Böcklin? It makes me smile.”In their wordsNovember 1897Quote (November 1897), # 52, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, translation: Pierre B. Schneider, R. Y. Zachary and Max Knight; publisher,

1879Born18 December 1879

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Paul Klee 1911Paul Klee 191165483 25 Kaiser ENTARTETE KUNST Ausstellungsführer 1937-38 Degenerate art exhibition programme Zwei "Heilige"!! Klee Schizophren “Two ‘Saints’!”. No known copyright restrictions65483 25 Kaiser ENTARTETE KUNST Ausstellungsführer 1937-38 Degenerate art exhibition programme Zwei "Heilige"!! Klee Schizophren “Two ‘Saints’!”. No known copyright restrictionsAUGUST PREUSSE - Möbelstillleben 1930AUGUST PREUSSE - Möbelstillleben 1930Bern Schosshaldenfriedhof Grab Paul KleeBern Schosshaldenfriedhof Grab Paul KleeDie Farbige (The Colorful Woman))Die Farbige (The Colorful Woman))Fontainen-Baum, 1939)Fontainen-Baum, 1939)Galerie Neue Kunst Fides 1926Galerie Neue Kunst Fides 1926Gedenkstein für N. (Memorial for N.))Gedenkstein für N. (Memorial for N.))

In their own words 10

,
Paul Klee
,
10 statements, newest first

  1. ..I served Beauty by drawing her enemies.

    1901, Quote of Paul Klee, from 'Diaries I', 1901; as quoted in 'Klee & Kandinsky', 2015 exhibition text, Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau Munich,, Own words

  2. Thoughts about the art of portraiture. Some will not recognize the truthfulness of my mirror.

    1901, Diary entry (1901), # 136, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1964, Own words

  3. My mirror probes down to the heart. I write words on the forehead and around the corners of the mouth. My human faces are truer than the real ones.

    1901, Diary entry (Munich, 1901), # 136, in The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918; University of California Press, 1968, p. 48, Own words

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About this person

Born in Switzerland in 1879, Klee was a natural draftsman who spent years experimenting with color before finding his voice at the intersection of expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. His lectures on form and design theory, later published as the Paul Klee Notebooks, became foundational texts for modern art. He taught at the Bauhaus alongside Wassily Kandinsky, where his dry humor and childlike perspective shaped a generation of students. His works carried his personal moods, his beliefs, and his deep musicality - a highly individual style that refused to fit neatly into any single movement. He died in June 1940, leaving behind a visual language built from deceptive simplicity and rigorous thought.

Country
Switzerland
Category
Artists
Type
Artist
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1879 to 1940 · aged 60

Artists from Switzerland 6

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