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Exotics

A work made of oil on burlap.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

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  • A work made of oil on burlap.

Date:

1939

Artist:

Paul Klee
German, born Switzerland, 1879-1940

About this artwork

From the mid-1920s until 1933, Paul Klee taught a design class for the weaving workshop of the Bauhaus, a German art school combining ne art and craft. Concurrent with his classroom interaction with student weavers, Klee began to use increasingly unusual fabrics in his paintings, including cotton, jute, and silk, to explore the interaction between paint and the many distinct textures of his supports. In late works such as Exotics, painted on coarse burlap, Klee recalled his formative journeys to Tunisia and Egypt in 1914 and 1928, respectively. While these trips to North Africa, then under occupation by France and Great Britain, originally positioned him as an adventurer in the eyes of his contemporaries, the rough-hewn, woven character of the painting’s support was an expression of his long-standing interest in weaving.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Modern Art

Artist

Paul Klee

Title

Exotics

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1939

Medium

Oil on burlap

Inscriptions

Signed, u.l.: "Klee"

Dimensions

71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Walter Paepcke

Reference Number

1994.545

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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