KURT SCHWITTERS / CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ vol. 2 / 1923-1936

KURT SCHWITTERS (1887-1948)

This landmark three-volume catalogue raisonné is particularly notable for bringing to light many of Schwitters' previously unpublished pictorial work.

Although Kurt Schwitters was one of the most influential artists of international Modernism, so far only certain parts of his immensely varied pictorial work have been thoroughly investigated. Now his oeuvre has been documented and properly acknowledged for the first time in a three-volume catalogue raisonné. More than 4,000 works from the period between 1905 and 1948, among them numerous previously unpublished pictures and paintings, are presented to the public after world-wide research and a complete sighting of his artistic estate. Schwitters´ works are ordered chronologically and, within years, according to genre. All works are shown in black and white; lost and destroyed works are also documented. In addition, each volume features color reproductions of 110 representative works.
The second volume covers the years from 1923 to 1936. It not only features works reflecting Schwitters´ struggle with international Constructivism but also includes an extensive presentation of his main work, the Hanover Merzbau, finishing with those works from the thirties that were created before his emigration in 1937. The third volume, with Schwitters' works in exile from 1937 until 1948, is planned for 2005.

The artist:

Kurt Schwitters (Hanover 1887-1948 Kendal, Lake District). Studied at the Hanover school for applied arts and the Königlich Sächsische Akademie der Künste in Dresden. In 1911, first participation in an exhibition. In 1919, first Merz picture and publication of the poem An Anna Blume. After 1923, work on his Merzbau, publication of the Merz magazine. In 1937, defamation of his works, emigration to Norway. In 1940, flight to England. In 1943, destruction in an air raid of the original Merzbau and his home in Hanover.

 Edited by Sprengel Museum Hannover on behalf of the Niedersächsischen Sparkassenstiftung , NORD/LB Norddeutschen Landesbank, Sparkasse Hannover, Kurt und Ernst Schwitters Stiftung, prepared by Karin Orchard, Isabel Schulz