Paul Klee, Insula Dulcamara, 1938, Zentrum Paul Klee
Along with Albert Einstein, who lived and worked in Bern from 1903 to 1905 and developed his Theory of Relativity there, Paul Klee is one of Bern’s most famous residents. He was born in 1879 in a village called Münchenbuchsee ten kilometers away. Little did I know that I would end up living in the neighbouring village of Schüpfen.
Bern has a museum dedicated to his work known as the Zentrum Paul Klee, situated in an impressive building designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The museum opened in 2005 and puts on changing exhibitions in its two large exhibition spaces. The focus is on modern and contemporary art, and one always has a connection to Klee.
There are many references to Klee in the city of Bern itself. There is the Wege zu Klee (Klee Way) which is a series of walks through the city marked with information panels giving information about the artist and his connection to that particular place, for example PROGR the former Gymnasium, where he went to school, which is now a cultural hub.
The current exhibition is Mapping Klee and it runs until 25 April, 2021. The exhibition uses Klee’s travels as a way of talking about his art, which is an approach that appeals to me as it combines my love of art and travel.
I liked this thematic approach and learning how his travels inspired him, although interestingly he often didn’t do any painting when he travelled. It acted as more of an inspiration that he then put into his work when he returned home. When he was a teacher at the Bauhaus he didn’t have much time for producing his own work and his trips abroad became more important than ever for providing inspiration and escape.
Klee loved travelling to warmer climates such as southern Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. He liked to experience and observe the landscape, culture and people of other countries. He was interested in discovering the things that made these places different from his own. He wanted to seek out the unfamiliar and exotic. Sounds familiar?
North Africa, in particular, had a huge influence on him. ‘Colour possesses me…I am a painter’ he wrote in his diary in Tunisia in 1914. This is seen as his breakthrough as an artist. He was also inspired by the cubic architecture of the towns that he travelled through and this can be seen through the shapes he uses in his art.
The exhibition also shows his life at home from his youth in Bern to his move to Munich to study and then on to Weimar and Dessau to teach at the Bauhaus.
Photographs of him, his family, friends and work colleagues all help to bring his story to life. Entries from his diaries and letters to his wife and other friends and family also feature although I was slightly disappointed that more wasn’t made of these. Before the exhibition opened I had listened to the excellent podcast series and had hoped that more of this content would feature in the exhibition. I thoroughly recommend listening to them as they give you a sense of Klee as a person, not just an artist.
The exhibition also tells of his return in exile to Bern in 1933 following the rise of the Nazis in Germany. His situation was complicated by the fact that he was a German citizen, despite being born and raised in Switzerland. His father was German and hadn’t sought Swiss citizenship. On his return to Switzerland he was treated as an outsider. He felt isolated and also fell ill which reduced his ability to travel. Despite this he produced a large body of work during his final years. His works became more fantastical, as if he was going on imaginary journeys.
One of my favourites is painted during this period. It is inspired by a park in Lucerne, where he used to walk with his wife Lily when she visited a sanatorium. The black symbols represent trees, branches and paths in the park which are contrasted with the vibrantly painted areas which are like colourful leaves.
The section towards the end is devoted to his legacy and popularity today. I particularly liked the wall devoted to advertising posters from Klee exhibitions all around the world. I was unaware of his popularity in Japan and that from the 1960s large scale Klee exhibitions were held there on a regular basis. His work didn’t just appear in museums but in shopping centres too!
Whether you love Klee’s work or don’t know much about him, I would recommend visiting the exhibition. It runs until 25 April 2021.
There are also lots of interesting resources online, some of my favourites include:
- If you are interested in finding out more about his life the Zentrum Paul Klee have produced a comprehensive biography.
- Podcast. Mapping Klee.
- For some interesting and unusual facts Tate have produced an A-Z of Paul Klee.
