Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
dal 24/5/2012 al 1/9/2012
Segnalato da
24/5/2012
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Fundacion Mapfre, Madrid
The complete retrospective brings together works from 27 museums and private collections from across the world: 153 works, including oils on canvas, works on paper and sculpture and 35 modern prints of photographs which Kirchner took to document his life and creative process.
curated by Karin Schick and María-Luisa Barrio
From 26 May until 2 September 2012, FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE will present a complete retrospective of
the work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 – 1938). Kirchner was one of the key figures of German
expressionism, co-founder of the Brücke (Bridge) group of artists in 1905 and one of the pioneers of
modernism. This exhibition will be held at FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE’s Recoletos site in the heart of
Madrid and entry is free.
Produced entirely by FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE in close collaboration with Kirchner Museum Davos, the
exhibition brings together works from 27 museums and private collections from across the world,
including the Kirchner Museum in Davos, the MNAM, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, the National
Gallery of Washington DC, the Legacy of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the Henze & Ketterer gallery in
Wichtrach-Berne and the Nationalgalerie, Berlin, le Folkwang Museum of Essen, the Staatliche
Staatsgemäldesammlungen in Dresde, the Hambourg Kunsthalle, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt
and the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Ludwigshafen, among others.
This exceptional exhibition is a one-off and will not be toured to other venues beyond Madrid. In
total, 153 works will be on show, including oils on canvas, works on paper and sculpture and. These
will be complemented by a selection of 35 modern prints of photographs which Kirchner took to
document his life and creative process. Offering an in-depth survey of the artist’s career across
varying themes, styles and mediums, the exhibition challenges traditional perceptions of the artist’s
work. In particular, the exhibition sheds light on the artist’s prolific period following the First World
War, during his period in the asylum and convalescence in Davos. The exhibition also shows, for the
first time in Spain, the inspiration of Bauhaus, Picasso, Le Corbusier and Léger on the artist.
The exhibition is divided into five chronological sections:
1. Dresden: Early years and creation of the Brücke group, 1905 - 1911
As an architecture student in Dresden and Munich, Kirchner discovered works by
the masters of the avant-garde from the turn of the century such as Van Gogh,
and Matisse, for whom colour was of prime importance. Taking their work as a
key reference point Kirchner began developing his own style, based upon fluid,
wide brush strokes and vibrant colour.
In 1905, together with the artists Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel and Karl Schmidt-
Rottluff in Dresden , he formed the Brücke group (meaning literally ‘bridge’).
Brücke set the foundations of one of the most important avant-garde movements
of the 20th century.
Gradually the group grew in size, with the arrival of Max Pechstein, Otto Mueller,
the Swiss artist Cuno Amiet, the Dutch artist Kees van Dongen and the Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-
Kallela, and – briefly – Emil Nolde. In their founding manifesto the artists laid out three main terms:
complete freedom, spontaneity and authenticity. Throughout his career Kirchner carved out a
unique formal language, in which portraits, groups of figures and a focus on the inner self play an
important role.
2. Expressionism in Berlin, 1911 - 1915
Kirchner’s Berlin years are characterised by a highly expressionist style: forms
grow more angular, colours more bold, with radical fore-shortened
perspectives. The atmosphere of the city streets become his key source of
inspiration.
During this period, Kirchner mastered a variety of techniques. He took up
engraving and discovered that drawing offered an important field of
experimentation for all his work. He jealously kept hold of all his drawings
throughout his life. He began making sculpture – a medium he had already
explored previously, but which now became a key mode of expression.
During the Berlin years Kirchner spent long periods on the Island of
Fehmarn, on the Baltic, where he completed many canvases, pastels and
engravings, many of which feature nude figures in the open air, a theme
that recurs throughout his oeuvre, signifying the ideal union between man
and nature.
Works from this pre-war period are often instilled with a sense of anxiety. Figures appear deformed,
their proportions exaggerated, hinting at personal and psychological instability. In fact, this period
led to a deep depression in the artist’s life, which brought this creative period to a close.
3. Time of Crisis, 1915 - 1917
Despite great success and recognition as an artist, an excess of work,
chaotic city life and drug abuse ate away at Kirchner’s health. During
the First World War he suffered from a breakdown, leading to several
internments in different asylums in Germany and Switzerland.
However, he continued to participate in exhibitions during this time.
Despite his illness, Kirchner continued to work and produced several of
his most striking works. His self-portraits reveal the fear and anxiety he
felt during a period of national conflict.
Portraits of medical workers and patients of the asylum of Kreuzlingen
4. Early years in Davos, 1917 - 1925
In 1917 Kirchner first came to Davos, in 1918 he settled there. He began painting village life and the
alpine landscape. A true city-dweller, Kirchner discovered a new-found fascination for the rural life of
the Alps. This new environment brought him an intense visual and chromatic experience. “It is here
that one can appreciate the true dimension of colour”, he said. In Switzerland Kirchner came to be
known as one of the great artists of the Alps.
The intense use of colour and nervous drawing of his Berlin years gradually gave way to calmer,
simpler compositions, with lighter, more subdued shades. Inspired by rural embroidery techniques
and textiles, he constructed compositions based on coloured sections arranged side by side, creating
the so-called “tapestry style”.
Despite his retirement Kirchner continued to successfully participate in the art world. In 1923 a major
exhibition of his work took place in Zurich. He was admired by the
Groupe Rot-Blau (Group Red-Blue) created by Albert Müller, Hermann
Scherer and Paul Camenisch. They were inspired by the expressionism
of Brücke – especially that of Kirchner – and often visited the artist in
Davos.
5. Abstractions: Davos 1925- 1938
The final section of the exhibition reveals an important turning point in
Kirchner’s career.
During his retirement in the Swiss Alps, Kirchner remained attentive to
new artistic movements. In 1925 a great change took place. He began
adopting an abstract language, static and ornamental, yet still
dominated by intense colour. During this final period he combined
exact observation of nature with the imaginary. His aesthetic
proximity to Picasso, Léger, Le Corbusier and Bauhaus artists is
what he perceived in nature. This can be seen as a common denominator of all his styles and a key
element for appreciating his art.
Kirchner worriedly observed the rise of Nazism. 639 of his works, seen as “degenerate art”, were
confiscated and removed from German museums. Kirchner was expelled from the Prussian Academy
of Arts. The annexing of Austria by Germany in 1938 made him fear a possible invasion of
Switzerland. Together with personal problems, this led him to destroy some of his works, and to
commit suicide on 15 June 1938.
CATALOGUE (Spanish only)
A monographic catalogue has been edited and produced especially for this exhibition. It includes
texts by the chief curator Karin Schick, Director of the Kirchner Museum Davos, Javier Arnaldo,
Professor of contemporary art history at UCM, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Wolfgang
Henze, Curator of the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive.
The catalogue includes a biography and complete bibliography, annotated by Karin Schick, as well as
three of the artist’s texts, published under the pseudonym Louis de Marsalle. Mirroring the
exhibition, the catalogue offers a complete survey of Kirchner, and can be considered as an essential
reference on the artist’s oeuvre for Spanish readers.
Complementing the exhibition and making it accessible to a wider public, FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE has
created a special website: www.exposicionesmapfrearte.com/kirchner.
Browsers can discover the important concepts of the artist’s work and see images of key artworks.
They can also take a ‘virtual tour’ of the exhibition in high definition. An extract from the catalogue is
also available online, as well as visitor information, and details on the educational programme
organised in conjunction with the show (in Spanish).
PRESS INFORMATION
For press information, including interview and image requests, please contact:
Marina Bradbury
Account Manager
AGENDA
31 rue Ballu
75009 / Paris
E mbradbury@agendacom.com T +33 1 49 95 08 06
www.fundacionmapfre.com; www.mapfre.com/fundacion/es/cultura
FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE – Instituto de Cultura
Paseo de Recoletos no 23.- Madrid
Alejandra Fernandez
t +34 91 581 84 64
alejandra@mapfre.com
Opening: 25 May, 8pm
Image: Two Acrobats – sculpture, 1932-33, Oil on Canvas, Kirchner Museum Davos
FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, Instituto de Cultura
Paseo de Recoletos N.23, Madrid – Spain