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Still Life

Paul Klee German, born Switzerland
1927
Not on view
Klee must have liked this work because, as he did in such cases, he underlined its title when he recorded it in his work catalogue. As in a playful exercise to show that "less is more," Klee simplified forms and used only primary colors and their complementaries. The cone, goblet, half lemon, pitcher, cut onion, piece of paper, Easter egg and cup, and chalice and dice showing the figure three are arranged equally distant from each other as upon a stage. The painted pattern of the lacy curtains seems incised with a sharp instrument into the uneven, dark red, crusty surface. One might be looking at a picture painted on mat stone. In fact, Klee painted this work on a thick slab of gypsum that he had reinforced with chicken wire and then encased in a deep wooden frame.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Still Life
  • Artist: Paul Klee (German (born Switzerland), Münchenbuchsee 1879–1940 Muralto-Locarno)
  • Date: 1927
  • Medium: Oil on gypsum construction
  • Dimensions: 18 7/8 × 25 5/8 in. (47.9 × 65.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Berggruen Klee Collection, 1984
  • Object Number: 1984.315.49
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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Bird Comedy (Vogelkomödie)
Paul Klee
Franz Seraph Hanfstaengl
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The Bauhaus Portfolio: New European Graphics III
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The Saint of the Inner Light (Die Helige vom inner Licht), Paul Klee German, born Switzerland, Lithograph with brown background
The Saint of the Inner Light (Die Helige vom inner Licht)
Paul Klee
1921
Hoffmannesque Scene (Hofmanneske Szene), Paul Klee German, born Switzerland, Lithograph in gold, maroon, brown and black
Hoffmannesque Scene (Hofmanneske Szene)
Paul Klee
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