Provenance
Rudolf Probst (Galerie Neue Kunst Fides; Das Kunsthaus), Dresden, Mannheim, to 1933 [Paul Klee Foundation]. Lily Klee (died 1946), Bern [Angela Rosengart of Galerie Rosengart]; Lily Klee’s estate to Werner Allenbach, Bern, to 1952 [Angela Rosengart and the Paul Klee Foundation]; Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne, 1952-1954 [Paul Klee Foundation]. Main Street Gallery, Chicago, about 1954 [Paul Klee Foundation]. Eva-Maria W. Worthington Gallery, Inc., Chicago [Paul Klee Foundation]. Elizabeth Paepcke, Chicago, by 1956 [Chicago 1956]; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1994.
Accession Number
135514
Medium
Watercolor over traces of graphite on ivory laid paper, laid down on cream card
Dimensions
Max: 64.9 × 47.7 cm (25 9/16 × 18 13/16 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Credit Line
Bequest of Elizabeth H. Paepcke
Background & Context
Background Story
Paul Klee's Artistic Comedy suggests the playful, ironic side of Klee's art. Comedy and humor were important in his work, operating through the incongruity between his childlike forms and sophisticated titles.
Cultural Impact
Klee's humor is an essential but often overlooked aspect of his art.
Why It Matters
This work captures the playful, comic spirit that runs through much of Klee's work.
