Exotics

Description

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.

Provenance

Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, Paris, probably acquired directly from the artist, 1939 [Paul-Klee Stiftung, 2004]. Karl Nierendorf, New York, by October 25, 1940 [according to letter October 25, 1940 from Arts Club to Karl Nierendorf, in curatorial file]; sold to Elizabeth Paepcke, Chicago, March 18, 1941 to 1994 [according to letter of March 18, 1941 from Arts Club to Museum of Modern Art, New York, in curatorial file]; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1994.

Exotics

Paul Klee

1939

Accession Number

134057

Medium

Oil on burlap

Dimensions

71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22 in.)

Classification

oil on canvas

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Walter Paepcke

Background & Context

Background Story

Paul Klee's Exotics (1938) is from Klee's late period in Switzerland. The title suggests exotic subjects.

Cultural Impact

Klee's late works represent the culmination of his career.

Why It Matters

This late work reflects Klee's interest in exotic art.