Book Description

Kurt Schwitters was one of the most influential, groundbreaking, and forward-looking artists of international Modernism-yet only certain areas of his immensely diverse oeuvre have been thoroughly investigated and catalogued. His has now been properly and fully documented for the first time, in a landmark three-volume catalogue raisonn, which is particularly notable for bringing to light many of Schwitters' previously unpublished pictorial work, including collages, drawings, and paintings. This first volume covers the artist's early years, with little-known works form the period prior to World War I, as well as the earliest MERZ pieces he created between 1918 and 1922. Schwitters' works are here organized chronologically and, within years, according to genre, and the book also features a detailed illustrated biography of the artist. ... Read more

Book Description

It would be impossible to overstate the importance of that moment when, in the artistic upheaval of the interwar years, the young Kurt Schwitters created his own art form, "Mertz," out of wood, labels, bus tickets, and various other detritus. Kurt Schwitters: 'I is Style' reproduces over twenty texts-poems, anecdotes, essays, and statements of purpose-by Schwitters and his contemporaries Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp, and Hans Richter. In addition, four major essays look closely at various aspects of Schwitters' work: distinguished art scholar Rudi Fuchs writes on Schwitters' art in the context of Expressionism; German Schwitters authority Siegfried Gohr examines Schwitters' ideas on the creative process and looks at his singular place in art history; Gunda Luyken's subject is Schwitters and America-his enthusiasm for the country and his contacts with American artists and writers; and Dorothea Dietrich explores his use of collage. ... Read more

Book Description

There is scarcely an artist working today, provided they use materials other than paint, who does not refer to Kurt Schwitters in some way. In his bold and wide-ranging experiments, his prodigious collages and ground-breaking environments, he can be seen as the grandfather of pop art, happenings, concept art, Fluxus, multimedia art, and even postmodernism--yet only certain parts of his immensely varied pictorial work have been thoroughly investigated. From the Dadaist collages to the final, partial incarnation of the Merzbau in the Lake District of England, Schwitters's oeuvre is here documented and properly acknowledged for the first time in a three-volume catalogue raisonné, of which this is the second installment. More than 4,000 works produced between 1905 and 1948, among them numerous previously unpublished, destroyed and lost pictures and paintings, are presented in this authoritative compendium, following worldwide research and a complete viewing of his artistic estate. The artist's works are ordered chronologically and then according to genre, and illustrated in black and white; select representative works appear in color.
This second volume covers the years from 1923 to 1936, a period in which Schwitters added steadily to his Hanover Merzbau and in which his work reflected his struggle with international constructivism. The volume ends with his 1937 flight from Germany. This publication is edited by the Sprengel Museum, Hanover, with the help of Karin Orchard and Isabel Schulz on behalf of the Norddeutsche Landesbank and the Stadtsparkasse Hanover.
Also Available:
Kurt Schwitters Catalogue Raisonné: Volume I 1905-1922
Hbk, 10 x 12 in. / 552 pgs / 150 color and 950 b&w
ISBN: 30-7757-0926-6 $250
Hatje Cantz Publishers

Forthcoming in 2004:
Kurt Schwitters Catalogue Raisonné: Volume 3 1937-1948
Hatje Cantz Publishers
A person so complicated and paradoxical as Schwitters cannot be tackled in a few words. --Hannah Höch

Edited by Karin Orchard and Isabel Schulz.

Hardcover, 10.25 x 11.75 in., 584 pages, 110 color, 885 b/willustrations ... Read more

Book Description

German artist Kurt Schwitters began constructing the Merzbau, a combination of collage, sculpture, and architecture, in a corner of his studio in Hannover, Germany in 1920. Also called the Cathedral of Erotic Misery, this was Schwitters's private world. It eventually took over his entire living quarters, the apartment above, and part of the yard, and was divided into rooms-the Biedermeier Room, the de Stijl Room, the Goethe Cave, the Mondrian Cave, and the Mies Cave, among others. It was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in 1943.

Although the Merzbau is of essential importance in understanding the early Modern Movement, this is the first in-depth study in English of this structure. Elizabeth Burns Gamard discusses its physical evolution and its significance within the artist's oeuvre. She also investigates its larger relation to German Expressionism and romanticism and to critical thought of the time. This book offers an in-depth analysis of a single structure through original documents, drawings, and critical examination of the design process. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Too many inaccuracies
This study of Kurt Schwitters's Merzbau is very disappointing, particularly coming from a Professor of Architecture, as the largely unexplored architectural aspects of the Merzbau have in general been ignored. The first part of the book is interesting insofar as it provides an introduction to the post-modernist aspects of Schwitters's work, but when it comes to more detail about Schwitters and the Merzbau, there are far too many inaccuracies. For instance, Professor Gamard is unsure about the exact location of the main sections of the Merzbau (placing it both on the ground and second floor of Schwitters' home) and is vague on Weimar history, stating that Weimar was the capital of the Weimar Republic. In all, there is far too much in this book which is plain theorising and which has no substantial factual basis. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume documents Kurt Schwitters and his profound influence on the generations of artists that followed him, including artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, Joseph Beuys, Jessica Stockholder, and Laura Kikauta. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on May 10, 1999. The length of the article is 785 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: El triunfo de la creatividad.(Kurt Schwitters; Fundacin Juan March; Madrid, Espaa)(TT: The triumph of creativity.)(TA: Kurt Schwitters; Juan March Foundation; Madrid, Spain)(Columna)
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 10, 1999
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Page: 66

Article Type: Columna

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more