Willi Baumeister InternationalWilli Baumeister and European Modernity 1920s–1950s

November 21, 2014 — March 29, 2015

Works by Willi Baumeister 1909–1955.

Works from the Baumeister Collection by Josef Albers, Hans Arp, Julius Bissier, Georges Braques, Carlo Carrà, Marc Chagall,

Albert Gleizes, Roberta González, Camille Graeser, Hans Hartung, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Franz Krause, Le Corbusier,

Fernand Léger, El Lissitzky, August Macke, Otto Meyer-Amden, Joan Miró, László Moholy-Nagy, Amédée Ozenfant,

Pablo Picasso, Oskar Schlemmer, Kurt Schwitters, Michel Seuphor, Gino Severini, Zao Wou-Ki

From the Daimler Art Collection: Hans Arp, Willi Baumeister, Max Bill, Camille Graeser, Otto Meyer-Amden, Oskar Schlemmer,

Georges Vantongerloo

Daimler Contemporary Berlin

Potsdamer Platz Berlin

32

Stuttgart artist Willi Baumeister (1889–1955) is one of the

most important German artists of the postwar period and

among the most significant representatives of abstract paint-

ing. His influence as an avant-garde artist, as a professor at

the School of Decorative Arts in Frankfurt am Main and after

1946 at the Stuttgart Academy, and as a major art theoreti-

cian could be felt far beyond Germany.

From early on, Baumeister was in close contact with French

artists and exhibited his works in Italy, Spain, France, and

Switzerland. He could seamlessly resume these contacts

after the Second World War. The exhibition retraces his inter-

national relations to gallerists, collectors and art historians.

It will, for the first time, present parts of his private art col-

lection, which he assembled through swapping his own works

for paintings by his artist friends.

The collection comprises, among others, paintings by Wassily

Kandinsky, Hans Arp, Fernand Léger, and Kazimir Malevich.

The focus of the exhibition is on central groups of works by

Willi Baumeister, ranging from his constructivist phase to the

Mauerbilder and the late Montaru paintings as well as the

Afrika series. They offer an overview of the development of

Baumeister’s oeuvre and at the same time demonstrate his

international reputation. The works will be supplemented by

archival materials such as letters, newspaper articles, and

unpublished photographs that impressively illustrate the high

degree to which he was recognized both in Germany and

abroad. Together they reveal the multifaceted image of an

artist who engaged in an intense exchange with the interna-

tional art scene before and after the Second World War.

The exhibition, conceived by the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, has

been adapted for Berlin and supplemented by works from the

Daimler Art Collection.Willi Baumeister packing works for his exhibition at the Gallery Jeanne Bucher Paris, 1949

IntroductionRenate Wiehager

From the outset the Daimler Art Collection has, in both its

conception and its aims, gone well beyond mere corporate-

image enhancement. In fact, over the years the collection

has become one of the leading European Corporate Collec-

tions and a living part of the corporation. Since it was inau-

gurated in 1977 – with the acquisition of a picture by Willi

Baumeister – the inventory has grown to about 2,600 works

today by some 700 German and international artists. The

collection represents an important range of predominantly

abstract developments in art from the 20th century to the

present day. Moreover, it includes some 30 large pieces of

sculpture, automobile-related works done on commission as

well as photography, object- and media art that has been

built up systematically since 2001.

54

Since the 1999 inauguration of the company’s own exhibition

space – Daimler Contemporary at Haus Huth on Potsdamer

Platz in Berlin – the systematic expansion of the collection

has been attentively followed by an international public.

New acquisitions for the Daimler Art Collection are presented

there as well as internally, in Stuttgart, Berlin and Sindel-

fingen, in themed rotating exhibitions, where they enter into

a dialogue with less recently acquired works. Since 2003 a

rotating selection of some 150 works at a time has gone

on tour worldwide through major museums in Europe, the

United States, South Africa, South America and Asia.

f.l.: Willi Baumeister, Hans Arp, Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart f.l.: Adolf Fleischmann, Josef AlbersInstallation views, ‘Art from a hundred years 1909–2009’, Museum und Galerie im Prediger, 2009

Installation view, ‘Novecento mai visto’, Brescia, 2013

76

Installation view, ‘Art & Stars & Cars’, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, 2011

f.l.: Ben Willikens, Josef Albers, Hans Arp

Installation views, ‘Classical : Modern I’, Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, 2006

f.l.: Oskar Schlemmer, Josef Albers, Camille Graeser, Johannes Itten

98

In its early days the Daimler Art Collection focused mainly on

pictures and particularly on artists from southern Germany,

notably those connected with the Stuttgart Art Academy,

including Adolf Hölzel and his pupils Oskar Schlemmer, Willi

Baumeister, Johannes Itten, Ida Kerkovius, Camille Graeser

and Max Ackermann, but also – extended to the European

level – Hans Arp, Georges Vantongerloo, Otto Meyer-Amden

and Max Bill. What they all had in common was an artistically

motivated interest in establishing an interdisciplinary dia-

logue between fine art, functional product design, architecture

and aesthetic theory. Linking up with this founding principle,

the Daimler Art Collection is, despite its broad scope, clearly

anchored in the ‘Classical : Modern’ exhibition and publica-

tion series, the first part of which, in 2006, introduced the

concrete and constructivist tendencies of early modernist art

up to the post-war era by drawing primarily on the collection

itself.

f.l.: Adolf Hölzel, Oskar Schlemmer, Willi Baumeister

f.l.: Willi Baumeister, Oskar Schlemmer, Ida Kerkovius Installation views, ‘Classical : Modern I’, Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, 2006

1110

Renate Wiehager (Ed.): Kurt Leonhard, Cover ‘Avantgarden in Süddeutschland nach 1945’, Hatje Cantz 2012

Installation views, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, 2013/14

f.l.: Georg Meistermann, Fritz Winter, Willi Baumeister, Installation view, ‘Classical : Modern II’, Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, 2008

horizons that are intimately connected with south-west Ger-

man art after 1945. In keeping with the focal point of our

collection as it has evolved over the years, the exhibition

‘Willi Baumeister International’ will go on to Berlin at Daimler

Contemporary in 2014/15 as the best possible sequel.

The second part of the series, in 2008, focused on the avant-

garde tendencies of post-war southern Germany. In 2012 this

was followed by the third part of the series: a first compre-

hensive appreciation of Kurt Leonhard (‘Avantgarden in Süd-

deutschland nach 1945’; all related publications can be

obtained via www.art.daimler.com). Texts by Kurt Leonhard –

art critic, lyric poet, philosopher, translator and curator who

died in 2004 and was a close friend of Willi Baumeister’s –

and by Ottomar Domnick open up art-historical and historical

1312

Installation views, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, 2013/14

1514

Willi Baumeister InternationalIlka Voermann and Hadwig Goez

More than most artists, Willi Baumeister is perceived as a

German painter. This is particularly true of his late work,

which is inextricably linked with the art history of post-war

Germany. This perception is not completely erroneous be-

cause Willi Baumeister was indeed strongly rooted in Ger-

many, especially in his native Stuttgart, which he had left

only while he was a professor at the School of Decorative

Arts in Frankfurt am Main (now the Städelschule) and for

brief periods during the Second World War. This impression is

reinforced by the fact that he championed abstract art in

Germany after 1945, which made him a guiding spirit in the

debate about the future of German art after the Second

World War. For all that, classifying Willi Baumeister solely as

a leading German painter falls far short of his significance.

He was deeply rooted in the international art scene and

bound by close ties to it both before and after the Second

World War. He was in contact with artists, art critics and

collectors in Europe and beyond Europe; his works were

exhibited there and he participated in the international de-

bates on art.

At the outset of Willi Baumeister’s career ‘international’

meant France in the first instance. Like so many other young

artists of his generation, Willi Baumeister was enthusiastic

about Paul Cézanne and the French Impressionists. His early

work is clearly indebted to both. In 1910 works of his were

shown at the Württemberg Art Association along with those

of both French and German artists and received critical ac-

claim. He had his first international success two years later,

in Switzerland, when the Galerie Neupert in Zurich showed

his work alongside that of Hermann Huber and Reinhold

Kündig.1 Still it would be ten years before notice was taken of

his work in France as well.

Junge am Landungssteg [Boy on a Landing Stage], 1909 Oil on cardboard, glued on the back with paper

Wall Picture at the space of the architect Richard Döcker, Werkbund exhibition in Stuttgart 1922

1716

Installation views, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

1918

Apoll II, 1921/22Lithograph

Ohne Titel (Figurentreppe I) [Untitled (Staircase of Figures I)], 1920Lithograph

Kopf [Head], 1920 Oil, graphite and sand on canvas

Kopf [Head], 1920 Oil and sand on cardboard

During the early 1920s figuration continued to yield to simple

geometric forms in Baumeister’s painting. Now Baumeister

realigned himself with different role models, this time the

Russian Constructivists and the Dutch group of artists known

as De Stijl.2 This was the context in which he developed his

own artistic stance, with the Wall Pictures featuring a unique

blend of painting and architecture. Although the Wall Picture

idea was in fact realized only once, in the room designed by

the architect Richard Döcker at the 1922 Werkbund exhibi-

tion in Stuttgart, this work definitively positioned Baumeister

within the international avant-garde. His work was also made

known in France through a positive article by Paul Ferdinand

Schmidt that was published in the ‘Kunstblatt’3 in 1921 and

a joint exhibition with Fernand Léger at the Der Sturm gallery

in Berlin in 1922. In addition an essay by Waldemar George

on Baumeister’s painting was printed (also in 1922) in the

journal ‘L’Esprit Nouveau’, published by Le Corbusier and

Amédée Ozenfant.4 The Waldemar George article was

Baumeister’s first contact with the French art scene and

would be followed up by a number of important events.5

2120

left:Atelierbild [Studio Picture], 1925 Oil on canvas

right:Maschinenbild [Machine Picture], 1924Oil on canvas

left:Drei gestaffelte Figuren [Three Staggered Figures], 1920Oil, tempera and papier-mâché on canvas

right:Apoll und der Maler [Apollo and the Painter], 1921 Oil on canvas Figur mit Streifen II [Figure with Stripes II], 1920

Oil and papier-mâché on canvasFigur mit Prismafarben [Figure with Prism Colors], 1924 Oil and sand on canvas

2322

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

2524

In 1924 Ozenfant and Le Corbusier, with whom Baumeister

had been corresponding regularly, invited him to Paris,

where he met many other artists, including Piet Mondrian,

Hans Arp and Fernand Léger. The following year saw

Baumeister’s work presented for the first time to the French

public, at ‘L’Art d’aujourd’hui’, where it met with a very

positive response. By 1927 the Galerie d’Art Contemporain

had dedicated a solo show to Baumeister, his first in Paris.

Willi Baumeister had indeed succeeded in gaining a firm

foothold in the Paris art scene. How unusual his success in

France was cannot be overstated at this juncture. On the

whole German artists found it very difficult to be taken

notice of at all in France after the First World War. Relations

between the French and German art scenes were notable

for seething tensions, and the art produced by Germans

tended to be classified by the French as rather backward.6

That Willi Baumeister should have been the one to garner

rave reviews from French artists and art critics alike was

due above all to his painting, which was perceived as ‘un-

German’. In his 1931 essay ‘Baumeister et l’art allemand’,

Waldemar George stressed the fact that German painting

was so strongly dominated by Expressionism that mystical

romantic overtones persisted. Baumeister’s art, on the

other hand, was “a form of world art and a collective

style”.7

Group picture in Paris 1926, Second from left: Max Ackermann, sixth from left: Enrico Prampolini, seventh from left: Willi Baumeister, third from right: Adolf Loos, second from right: Piet Mondrian, far right: Michel Seuphor Kreisbild I [Circle Image I], 1921

Oil and graphite on canvas

Fernand Léger and Willi Baumeister, Paris 1930

Exhibition Willi Baumeister at the Gallery d’Art Contemporain Paris, 1927

2726

Baumeister’s success on the international art scene was duly

noted in Germany and admired, especially by his fellow ar-

tists. Wassily Kandinsky wrote to Baumeister in 1931: “About

a year ago I was in Paris briefly and noticed while there, too,

that the French are very much interested in you. And there

are only very few German artists who are taken seriously

there, which, after all (between you and me), is hardly sur-

prising. And for the following reason: what is easy for a

Frenchman is difficult for a German artist – crossing the

border.”8 Baumeister’s appointment to a professorship for

commercial art, typography, textile printing and photography

at the School of Decorative Arts in Frankfurt am Main in

1928 can also be put down to his international reputation.9

In the 1930s Baumeister’s work was shaped by numerous

parallel trends. That decade saw him produce very different

groups of works, such as the Little Flame and Line Pictures,

the Sport Pictures II and the Valltorta Pictures. Baumeister

also constantly reverted to earlier themes, including Der

Maler [The Painter], and developed them further. Nor did

his success in Paris wane. In 1930 the Galerie Bonaparte

mounted a solo show of Baumeister’s most recent work and

the following year saw the publication of two important

French monographs devoted to his work: Will Grohmann

Group picture at the Bauhaus Weimar 1925, top left: Herbert Bayer, top right: Walter Gropius, beneath: Willi Baumeister, second row left outside: Oskar Schlemmer, bottom right with raised hand: Josef Albers

Oskar Schlemmer and Willi Baumeister, Frankfurt am Main 1932

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

2928

wrote the first Baumeister monograph for the Peintres Nou-

veaux series10 and the ‘Sélection’11 series of artist mono-

graphs devoted a volume to him. Le Corbusier congratulated

him on this success in a letter dated 16 February 1931: “I am

delighted to see the strong performance of your works as-

sembled here. All this is enormously pictorial. Your drawings

Der Maler mit Punkten [Painter with Points], 1932 Oil on canvas

Maler mit Palette [Painter with Palette], 1929 Oil and sand on canvas

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

3130

are very fine. Since you started out in 1920 you have

been both sound and interesting. The future is bound to

be yours.”12

The Baumeister monograph that Will Grohmann had written

in French was not only of great importance to his success in

France but also opened doors for him in Spain and Italy.

Since 1932 Willi Baumeister had been in contact with Ed-

uardo Westerdahl, a Spanish art critic who was general editor

of the journal ‘gaceta de arte’ on Tenerife. From 1932 to

1938 it was a leading forum for the Spanish art scene.13

Baumeister had sent a copy of the Grohmann monograph to

Westerdahl, who reviewed it in an issue of ‘gaceta de arte’.14

Grohmann’s monograph and regular correspondence with

Baumeister gave Westerdahl the idea of writing a book on the

German artist. The monograph was published in 1934 with a

foreword by Willi Baumeister.15 In this case, too, Baumeister

took an active role in ensuring that the book had a wide

circulation: he sent Westerdahl a list of addresses to which

he was to dispatch the monograph.16 The list included both

the names of numerous fellow artists as well as the ad-

dresses of international galleries. That is how the Westerdahl

monograph reached the Casa d’Arte Bragaglia gallery in

Rome and the Galleria del Milione in Milan, where it piqued

the interest of Gino Ghiringhelli, the proprietor, who organ-

ized a Baumeister exhibition in 1935, which subsequently

went to the Casa d’Arte Bragaglia in Rome. One can only

imagine how overjoyed Baumeister must have been about his

continuing success abroad.

In view of the situation in his native Germany his joy must

have been great indeed. After the National Socialists came to

power in 1933 Baumeister had been dismissed from his

teaching post in Frankfurt and had returned to Stuttgart. As

early as 1930 he had had a taste of the anti-modernist mood

that was becoming widespread on the German art scene

when the acquisition of his painting Atelier III [Studio III], by

the Städtische Galerie in Frankfurt am Main was decried

by the press as a waste of taxpayers’ money.17

Hence he must have been all the happier about the prospect

of being able to exhibit his work for the first time in Italy. The

Galleria del Milione published a ‘Bollettino’ to accompany the

Kleine Flammen [Small Flames], 1931 Oil on canvas

Flämmchenbild [Flamelet Picture], 1931 Oil on canvas

exhibition, with essays by Albert Sartoris, an architect who

curated the exhibition, and Eduardo Westerdahl.18 Distin-

guished fellow artists such as Le Corbusier and Wassily Kan-

dinsky also contributed dedications to the catalogue. Initially

it seemed doubtful whether Baumeister would be as success-

ful in Italy as he had been in France. Reservations about

non-representational art were in any case considerably more

prevalent in Italy than in France. Kandinsky wrote to

Baumeister about this circumstance: “I am delighted that you

are exhibiting in Milan because interest was aroused there. It

would also seem to be spreading elsewhere in Italy. Only,

unfortunately, really serious things are not always shown

there, i.e., the ›Grimaces‹ are not always avoided. And I am

certain that your works will be very instructive there. So the

best of success!”19 The reviews of the Baumeister exhibition

turned out, however, to be very positive. Nonetheless,

Baumeister’s Constructivist works, which had met with such

acclaim in France especially, were less popular in Italy, where

3332

the works in which he had returned more noticeably to figu-

ration were preferred.20 Carlo Carrà, an artist whose attitude

to abstraction tended to be rather negative, had only praise

for the development: “Among the many examples of abstrac-

tion we are provided with internationally, Baumeister is dis-

tinguished by his commitment to taking up stances that are

more open-minded, more animated and humane than are

usually encountered.”21 The highlight of Baumeister’s appear-

ance in Milan was a talk he gave on his work a few days after

the exhibition opened. Although he knew very little Italian,

Baumeister managed to put across his arguments with the

aid of explanatory drawings.22

Läufer mit sitzender Figur, 1934/35[Runner with Sitting Figure]Oil and sand on canvas

Schreitende Figur [Striding Figure], 1934 Oil and sand on canvas

Schwebende Formen mit Weiß [Floating Forms with White], 1938, Oil on canvas

Fliegende Formen [Flying Forms], 1937/38 Stenciled shapes with printing ink on paper

3534

Formlinge II [Formlings II], 1937 Offset lithograph on Japanese paper

Formlinge III [Formlings III], 1937 Offset lithograph on Japanese paper

The exhibitions in Milan and Rome would remain some of the

few opportunities for years to come for Baumeister to pre-

sent his work abroad. The situation in Germany was looking

considerably bleaker. In keeping with the National Socialist

arts policy, Baumeister’s works were removed from public

collections and, along with numerous works by other pro-

scribed artists, shown at the notorious ‘Entartete Kunst’

exhibition of ‘degenerate’ art, which toured Germany from

1937. In 1941 Baumeister was forbidden to paint and to

show work. Despite this difficult situation he still managed

to be a presence to be reckoned with abroad. In 1937 he

showed work at ‘konstruktivisten’ at the Basle Kunsthalle.

What is more, he succeeded in sending about 90 works to

the Kunsthalle in 1937 and 1938 for safekeeping, thus pre-

venting the National Socialists from confiscating them.23 In

1937 the British poet and art critic Herbert Read informed

Baumeister that he was planning an exhibition in London

focusing on the work of artists vilified by the National Social-Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

3736

Installation views, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

3938

ists.24 ‘Twentieth Century German Art’, which opened at the

New Burlington Galleries in London in July 1938, can be

viewed as representing an anti-agenda that was intended to

counter ‘Degenerate Art’. Baumeister was not unknown in

London. At the suggestion of the painter Edward Wadsworth,

Baumeister had shown work at ‘Recent Paintings by English,

French and German Artists’, an exhibition at the Mayor Gal-

lery in London in April 1933.25

Baumeister had his last international exhibition before the

Second World War in 1939 at Galerie Jeanne Bucher in Paris,

a tribute to him that came about only through the unswerving

commitment to it shown by the gallerist herself.

Tennisspieler mit Kreis [Tennis Players with Circle], 1934 Oil and sand on canvas

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

40

Tori, 1938 Oil on canvas

Ideogramm [Ideogram], 1937 Oil on cardboard

Tori, 1938 Woodcut on paper

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text – Fotozeichnung [Illustration of a Greek Text – Photo-Drawing], 1944

4342

In the years that followed Baumeister was severely restricted

in his work by the prevailing conditions. He did manage to

keep in contact with a few colleagues abroad but corre-

spondence with them often had to take place through devi-

ous channels and third parties. Despite the adverse condi-

tions Baumeister succeeded in continuing to work and to

develop further within the framework of possibilities still

open to him. During this period of ‘inner emigration’ he did

some painting but also produced mainly cycles of drawings,

Dialog-Zeichnung mit Montage [Dialogue-Drawing with Montage], 1944

All: Charcoal/oil crayon and collage with photo and reproduction on mould-made Ingres paper

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text, [Illustration of a Greek Text], 1944

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text [Illustration of a Greek Text], 1944 oder 1947

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text [Illustration of a Greek Text], 1943

Afrikanische Erzählung [African Tale], 1942 Oil with synthetic resin and putty on cardboard

Owambo, 1944-48 Oil with synthetic resin, putty and sand on hardboard

4544

in which he addressed biblical themes and other narratives.26

In 1942 or 1943 he began writing ‘Das Unbekannte in der

Kunst’ [The Unknown in Art], which after the war ended

would become one of the most important theoretical works

on abstract art in Germany.27

Willi Baumeister in his studio, Stuttgart 1947

Baumeister, curtain to Manuel de Fallas ‘Liebeszauber’ for the Stuttgarter Staatsoper, Cover ‘Der Spiegel’, Novem-ber 1947

Cover ‘Das Unbekannte in der Kunst’, Gustav Schwab Verlag, Stuttgart 1947

The end of the war ushered in a new wave of success for Willi

Baumeister. By 1946 he had been appointed professor of

painting at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. Both

the French and the American occupying powers soon realized

that Baumeister was a leading exponent of abstract art in

Germany and viewed him as linking pre-war and post-war

German art. Their high opinion of Baumeister was based

above all on his having never abandoned the moral high

ground, his managing to continue working even during the

period of ‘inner emigration’ and his maintaining contacts with

the international art scene, which he renewed after the war.

On post-war visits to Paris Baumeister also forged important

new ties, including one with Nesto Jacometti, who was the

co-founder of the journal ‘Guilde internationale de la gra-

vure’, the British artist Stanley William Hayter, Fernand Grain-

dorge, a collector, James Johnson Sweeney, director of the

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and even the writer Henry

Willi Baumeister with his daughter Krista, Stuttgart 1949

4746

Miller. After 1945 Baumeister did his utmost to promote

cultural exchange, especially with France.28 In 1949 he took

his Stuttgart students to Paris, where they visited French

artists and museums. The cultural reunion with France

reached a high point in 1948, when Baumeister’s painting

Jour heureux was presented to the French government to seal

the reconciliation between France and Germany in exchange

for 90 French prints, which had been given to the Kunsthalle

Karlsruhe by the Division de l’Education Publique.29 Only

a year later Baumeister had his first post-war solo show, at

the Galerie Jeanne Bucher. That was the first exhibition any

German artist had in France after the Second World War.

By then at the latest Baumeister had arrived in France once

again. In 1948 he wrote in a letter to Michel Seuphor: “opéra

wrote: ›… baumeister, le picasso allemand …‹ that’s overdoing

it a bit, un peu trop!”30

Willi Baumeister and Hans Arp, 1955Willi Baumeister in his apartment Gerokstraße, Stuttgart 1946

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

4948

Funktion einer (Form) Bewegung (auf Gelb), 1949[Function of a (Form) Movement (on Yellow)]Oil with artificial resin, filler and sand on hardboard

Installation views, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

5150

Metamorphose schwarz [Black Metamorphosis], 1950 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

Ruhe und Bewegung II [Repose and Movement], 1948Oil with artificial resin on hardboard

After 1945 Willi Baumeister’s range began to include coun-

tries outside Europe. Although the prewar avant-garde art

scene had primarily concentrated on Europe, after the war

the importance of non-European art, especially American art,

grew by leaps and bounds. Long before, in 1926, Willi

Baumeister had shown work at the ‘International Exhibition

of Modern Art’ mounted by the Société Anonyme in New

York, but it was not until after 1945 that he was really appre-

ciated in the United States. He had his first US solo show

in 1952, at the Hacker Gallery in New York. He also had work

in major group shows at the Guggenheim Museum and the

Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh exhibition

subsequently went on tour to San Francisco and, thanks to it,

a major American museum acquired a Baumeister. Through

the agency of German-born curator Charlotte Weidler, the

Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo acquired Wachstum

[Growth], in 1953. The painting is still there.31

Willi Baumeister, 1952

5352

Wind, 1951 Oil with synthetic resin and tempera on hardboard

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

5554

While he was enjoying such success in the US, Baumeister

also triumphed in Brazil, where he took part in the first

São Paulo Biennal, in 1951. He was given the Biennal Special

Award in São Paulo for the painting Kosmische Geste [Cosmic

Gesture], which he promptly donated to the Museu de Arte

Moderna de São Paulo.32 In the 1950s Baumeister’s work

was shown at exhibitions worldwide. Apart from the Venice

Biennale and the International Art Exhibition in Japan, it was

the touring exhibitions initiated by the German Arts Council

that made Baumeister famous around the world. The German

Arts Council exhibitions took his work to South Africa, New

Zealand, Australia and India.33

The importance of Baumeister’s work and his influence as

an art theorist grew apace in Germany as well. His growing

post-war reputation on all counts was triggered by his partici-

pation in the 1950 ‘Darmstadt Discussions’, in which he

defended abstraction against arguments advanced by the art

historian Hans Sedlmayr. Baumeister’s hands-on committ-

Kessaua II, 1953 Oil and synthetic resin on hardboard

Schwarzer Fels mit rötlichem Grund [Black Rock with Reddish Ground], 1954Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

Montaru auf Rosa [Montaru on Pink], 1953Oil with synthetic resin and filler on hardboard

5756

Großes Montaru [Large Montaru], 1953 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

5958

Monturi mit blauem Dreieck [Monturi with Blue Triangle], 1954 Oil with synthetic resin and sand

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

6160

ARU, 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

ment to the cause of abstract painting made him a trailblazer

for it in Germany and a role model for the younger generation

of abstract German painters.34

He also took part in debates abroad on the future of painting.

In 1950 he attended the second congress of the Escuela de

Altamira, which had embarked on a mission of reviving mod-

ern art in Spain. In 1949 Baumeister had wanted to take part

in the first congress but was unable to do so because he had

not been granted a visa. In 1950, however, he was elected

president of the congress, which, under his stewardship, was

held in the prehistoric caves at Altamira.35 On that occasion

he finally managed to meet his old acquaintance Eduardo

Westerdahl for the first time. After the congress ended

Wester dahl, like so many other fellow artists, wrote a dedica-

tion to Baumeister: “Twenty years later or Willi Baumeister.

On visiting a museum in Germany a picture appeared to me.

ARU-Linie [ARU-Line], 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

Installation view, ‘Willi Baumeister International’, Daimler Contemporary, 2014/15

6362

ARU 1, 1954 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

ARU auf Beige [ARU on Beige], 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard

Years later this picture would be the hand of a man who is

full of genius and wit.”36

No other artist matched Willi Baumeister in taking up where

he had left off with the international success achieved before

the Second World War. Nonetheless, the esteem he enjoyed

in Germany after 1945 is inextricably linked to the interna-

tional reputation he had had before the war. Baumeister’s

international fame rested in great measure on his ability to

make contacts and maintain those ties over long distances

and under adverse circumstances as well as on the thrust

of his work itself, which had been orientated towards the

international avant-garde since the outset of his career.

As Fernand Léger wrote on Baumeister’s painting in 1949:

“As I see it the name Baumeister occupies an extremely

important place among modern German artists. Indeed

Baumeister represents – when one considers his work –

German art of an international character. His art has always

developed with reference to the art of all times and peoples –

ranging from the Assyrians to Paul Klee, Kandinsky and Miró.

And, sidestepping Expressionism, he resolutely went his own

very independent and distinctive way.”37

6564

1 Dieter Schwarz, Baumeister und die Schweiz, in: Willi Baumeister: Gemälde und Zeichnungen, exh. cat. (Museu Fundación Juan March, Palma, Kunstmuseum Winterthur and MART Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, 2011–12; Düsseldorf, 2011), pp. 30 and 27–43 passim.

2 Martina Padberg, ›Nichts ist abstrakt gemeint‹: Positionsbe-stimmung in Frankfurt: Anmerkun-gen zu Kontinuität und Innovation im Werk von Willi Baumeister, in: Willi Baumeister 1889–1955: Die Frankfurter Jahre 1928–1933, exh. cat. (Museum Giersch, Frankfurt am Main), Frankfurt am Main, 2005, pp. 53 and 51–62 passim.

3 Paul Ferdinand Schmidt, Willy Baumeister, Das Kunstblatt, 5/9 (1921), pp. 276–79.

4 Waldemar George, La Peinture en Allemagne: Willi Baumeister,

L’Esprit Nouveau, 15 (1922), pp. 1790–94.

5 For Baumeister’s activities in France, see also the essay by Brigitte Pedde, Willi Baumeister in Frankreich, in: Willi Baumeister International, exh. cat. Kunstmu-seum Stuttgart, MKM, Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, Daimler Art Collection Haus Huth, Berlin. München, 2013, pp. 30-41.

6 Christian Derouet, Baumeister et Cahier d’Art: Un prêté pour un rendu, in: Willi Baumeister et la France, exh. cat. (Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar, and Musée d’Art Moderne, Saint Étienne, 1999–2000), Paris, 1999, pp. 83 and 82–92 passim.

7 »une forme d’art mondiale, et d’un style collectif«. Waldemar George, Baumeister et l’art allemand, in: Willi Baumeister: Chronique de la vie artistique, Sélection, vol. XI (Antwerp, 1931) (with essays by

Will Grohmann, Pierre Flouquet, Waldemar George, Hans Arp, Karl Konrad Düssel, Josef Gantner, Christian Zervos, Michel Seuphor, Fernand Léger, Le Corbusier, Ernst Schön and Willi Baumeister), p. 16f.

8 Letter from Wassily Kandinsky to Willi Baumeister, 19 April 1931, Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

9 Padberg 2005 (see note 2), p. 57.

10 Will Grohmann, Willi Baumeister: Les Peintres Nouveaux, Paris, 1931.

11 Willi Baumeister: Chronique de la vie artistique, Sélection, vol. XI (Antwerp, 1931) (with essays by Will Grohmann, Pierre Flouquet, Waldemar George, Hans Arp, Karl Konrad Düssel, Josef Gantner, Christian Zervos, Michel Seuphor, Fernand Léger, Le Corbusier, Ernst Schön and Willi Baumeister).

12 »Je suis heureux de voir la belle tenue de vos œuvres, ici rassemb-lés. Tout cela est éminement pictu-ral. Vos dessins sont très beaux. Dès 1920, votre départ vous êtes sain et interessant. Vous allez à l’avenir avec sécurité.« Letter from Le Corbusier to Willi Baumeister, 16 February 1931, Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

13 Paloma Alarcó, Willi Baumeister und Spanien: Gemeinsamkeiten und Einflüsse, in: Willi Baumeister, exh. cat. (Sala de Exposiciones Fundación Caja Madrid and Städtische Galerie im Lenbach-haus, Munich) Munich, 2004, pp. 52f. and 51–73 passim.

14 Ibid., p. 54.

15 Eduardo Westerdahl, Willi Bau-meister (Tenerife, 1934).

16 A copy exists in the Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

Endnotes

17 Padberg 2005 (see note 2), p. 58.

18 Willi Baumeister, in: Il Milione: Bollettino della Galleria del Mili-one, 13/41 (1935), n.p.

19 Letter from Wassily Kandinsky to Willi Baumeister, 17 March 1935, Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

20 Elena Pontiggia, Baumeister und die Galleria del Milione, in: Willi Baumeister: Gemälde und Zeich-nungen, exh. cat. (Museu Funda-ción Juan March, Palma, Kunstmu-seum Winterthur and MART Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento Trento e Rovereto, 2011–12) Düsseldorf, 2011, pp. 115 and 111–20 passim, esp. p. 115.

21 Carlo Carrà, Willi Baumeister, L’Ambrosiano (1935).

22 Pontiggia 2011 (see note 20), p. 114.

23 Schwarz 2011 (see note 1), p. 37f.

24 Letter from Herbert Read to Willi Baumeister, 30 October 1937, Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

25 Willi Baumeister, diary entry, 17 March 1933. »Wadsworth writes about 2 pictures for the inaugural exhibition at a new gallery in London: Mayor Gallery.«

26 Andreas Schalhorn: Lebenszeichen aus der inneren Emigration. Willi Baumeister Uracher Jahre und die Zeichnungsfolge »Saul« und »Salome«, in: Willi Baumeister International, exh. cat. Kunstmu-seum Stuttgart, MKM, Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, Daimler Art Collection Haus Huth, Berlin. München, 2013, pp. 56-65.

27 Willi Baumeister, Das Unbekannte in der Kunst, Stuttgart, 1947.

28 Martin Schieder, Im Blick des Anderen: Die deutsch-französi-schen Kunstbeziehungen 1945–1959, Berlin, 2005, pp. 122–26.

29 Ibid., p. 20.

30 Letter from Willi Baumeister to Michel Seuphor, 17 February 1948, copy in the Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

31 Letter from Edgar C. Schenck to Willi Baumeister, 3 April 1953, Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart. For Baumeister’s US contacts, see the essay by Peter Chametzky: Ver-passte Chancen, Missverständ-nisse. Baumeister und die Verei-nigten Staaten, in: Willi Baumeister International, exh. cat. Kunstmu-seum Stuttgart, MKM, Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, Daimler Art Collection Haus Huth, Berlin. München, 2013, pp. 42-55.

32 Letter from Willi Baumeister to Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho, 21 December 1951, copy in the Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

33 See the numerous Deutscher Kunstrat exhibition brochures in the Baumeister Archives at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart.

34 For Willi Baumeister’s role in the debate about the future of German art in the post-war era see the essay by Sabine Fastert, »Häupling der Moderne«. Willi Baumeister und die Kunstdebatte nach 1950, in Willi Baumeister International. exh. cat. Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, MKM, Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, Daimler Art Collection Haus Huth, Berlin. München, 2013, pp. 66-77.

35 Alarcó 2004 (see note 13), p. 66f.

36 Cited in Alarcó 2004 (see note 13), p. 72.

37 Fernand Léger, Willi Baumeister, L’Âge Nouveau, 44 (1949), p. 71.

6766

Kopf [Head], 1920 Oil, graphite and sand on canvas45,5 × 33 cmBaumeister Archives at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart Figur mit Streifen II [Figure with Stripes II], 1920 Oil and papier-mâché on canvas73,5 × 52 cm Private collection Apoll und der Maler [Apollo and the Painter], 1921 Oil on canvas60,4 × 50,3 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Apoll II, 1921/22Lithograph51,5 × 34,5 cm Acquired 1979Daimler Art Collection

Willi Baumeister(1889 Stuttgart, D – 1955 Stuttgart, D)Junge am Landungssteg [Boy on a Landing Stage], 1909 Oil on cardboard, glued on the back with paper34,1 × 45,8 cm Kunstmuseum Stuttgart

Drei gestaffelte Figuren [Three Stagge-red Figures], 1920Oil, tempera and papier-mâché on canvas34,1 × 45,8 cm Kunstmuseum Stuttgart

Ohne Titel (Figurentreppe I) [Untitled (Staircase with Figures I)], 1920Lithograph51,5 × 34,4 cm Acquired 1991Daimler Art Collection

Kopf [Head], 1920 Oil and sand on cardboard46 × 34 cmPrivate collection

List of Works

➝ P. 14

➝ P. 20

➝ P. 18

➝ P. 19

➝ P. 19

➝ P. 21

➝ P. 20

➝ P. 18

Kreisbild I [Circle Image I], 1921 Oil and graphite on canvas57,5 × 74,5 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Maschinenbild [Machine Picture], 1924Oil on canvas65 × 54 cm Private collection Figur mit Prismafarben [Figure with Prism Colors], 1924 Oil and sand on canvas65,5 × 46,2 cmBaumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Atelierbild [Studio Picture], 1925 Oil on canvas100,5 × 81,6 cmBaumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Maler mit Palette [Painter with Palette], 1929 Oil and sand on canvas65 × 54 cm Private collection

Flämmchenbild [Flamelet Picture], 1931 Oil on canvas65,5 × 46,5 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Kleine Flammen [Small Flames], 1931 Oil on canvas65 × 46 cm Private collection

Der Maler mit Punkten [Painter with Points], 1932 Oil on canvas100,2 × 50,2 cm Private collection

➝ P. 25

➝ P. 20

➝ P. 21

➝ P. 20

➝ P. 28

➝ P. 31

➝ P. 31

➝ P. 28

6968

Ideogramm [Ideogram], 1937 Oil on cardboard27,8 × 31 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Formlinge II [Formlings II], 1937 Offset lithograph on Japanese paper54,8 × 41,9 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Formlinge III [Formlings III], 1937 Offset lithograph on Japanese paper54,4 × 41,7 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Fliegende Formen [Flying Forms], 1937/38 Stenciled shapes with printing ink on paper65,1 × 47,1 cm Private collection

Schreitende Figur [Striding Figure], 1934 Oil and sand on canvas100,5 × 65,5 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Tennisspieler mit Kreis [Tennis Players with Circle], 1934 Oil and sand on canvas65,4 × 54 cm Private collection

Fußballspieler [Football Player], 1934 Oil and sand on canvas 45 × 32 cmBinz Collection

Läufer mit sitzender Figur [Runner with Seated Figure], 1934/35Oil and sand on canvas65 × 54 cmAcquired 1984Daimler Art Collection

➝ P. 40

➝ P. 35

➝ P. 35

➝ P. 33

➝ P. 33

➝ P. 38

➝ P. 32

Tori, 1938 Oil on canvas100 × 73 cm Private collection Tori, 1938 Woodcut on paper70,2 × 50 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Schwebende Formen mit Weiß [Floa-ting Forms with White], 1938 Oil on canvas81,7 × 65,4 cmBaumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Afrikanische Erzählung [African Tale], 1942 Oil with synthetic resin and putty on cardboard35,5 × 45,5 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text [Illustration of a Greek Text], 1943 Charcoal, oil crayon and collage with photo and reproduction on mould-made Ingres paper24,4 × 31,3 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text – Fotozeichnung [Illustration of a Greek Text – Photo-Drawing], 1944Charcoal and collage with two frag-ments on mould-made Ingres paper30,9 × 48,7 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text [Illustration of a Greek Text], 1944 Charcoal and collage with photo detail on mould-made Ingres paper on cardboard31,2 × 48,4 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

➝ P. 40

➝ P. 40

➝ P. 33

➝ P. 43

➝ P. 42

➝ P. 41

➝ P. 42

7170

Owambo, 1944-48 Oil with synthetic resin, putty and sand on hardboard65 × 81 cm Private collection

Ruhe und Bewegung II [Repose and Movement II], 1948Oil with artificial resin on hardboard81 × 100 cmAcquired 1978Daimler Art Collection

Dialog-Zeichnung mit Montage [Dia-logue-Drawing with Montage], 1944 Charcoal, oil crayon, collage with black and white photos on mould-made Ingres paper31,2 × 48 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Illustration zu einem griechischen Text [Illustration of a Greek Text], 1944 or 1947Charcoal and collage with photo and reproduction on mould-made Ingres paper25,2 × 38,1 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Illustrations to the poem ‘Avant la première journée du monde’ from Luc Bérimont, 1948Charcoal, crayon on hand-made paper7 partsEach: 32 × 25 cmBaumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

➝ P. 43

➝ P. 50

➝ P. 42

➝ P. 42

Funktion einer (Form) Bewegung (auf Gelb) [Function of a (Form) Movement (on Yellow)], 1949Oil with artificial resin, filler and sand on hardboard58,5 × 81 cmAcquired 1989Daimler Art Collection

Metamorphose schwarz [Black Meta-morphosis], 1950 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard80,9 × 64,9 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Wind, 1951 Oil with synthetic resin and tempera on hardboard100,2 × 125,4 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Großes Montaru [Large Montaru], 1953 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard135 × 185 cm Private collection

Montaru auf Rosa [Montaru on Pink], 1953Oil with synthetic resin and filler on hardboard135 × 185 cmAcquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

Kessaua II, 1953 Oil and synthetic resin on hardboard65 × 81 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Schwarzer Fels mit rötlichem Grund [Black Rock with Reddish Ground], 1954Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard 81 × 99,5 cm Private collection

➝ P. 49

➝ P. 50

➝ P. 52

➝ P. 56

➝ P. 55

➝ P. 54

➝ P. 54

7372

ARU auf Beige [ARU on Beige], 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard100 × 81 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart ARU-Linie [ARU-Line], 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard64,9 × 44 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

ARU, 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard49,7 × 37 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Monturi mit blauem Dreieck [Monturi with Blue Triangle], 1954 Oil with synthetic resin and sand135 × 185 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

ARU 1, 1954 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard99,9 × 81,2 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

Han-Aru, 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on cardboard45,5 × 36 cm Private collection

Han-i, 1955 Oil with synthetic resin on hardboard129,5 × 79,5 cm Baumeister Archive at the Kunst-museum Stuttgart

➝ P. 59

➝ P. 62

➝ P. 62

➝ P. 60

➝ P. 60

Josef Albers(1888 Bottrop, D – 1976 New Haven, USA) Aussicht [View], 1933 Linoleum cut on Japanese paper34,9 × 44,5 cmPrivate collection

Hans Arp(1886 Strasbourg, F – 1966 Basel, CH)chapeau-nombril [Nable Hat], 1924Oil on canvas58 × 45 cmAcquired 1986Daimler Art Collection

lèvres et glace à main [Lips and Hand Mirror], 1927Oil on wood58 × 100 cmAcquired 1986Daimler Art Collection

Ronde Vegetale [Vegetable Round], 1946Oil on canvas65 × 65 cmAcquired 1989Daimler Art Collection

Samariter Collage [Samaritan Collage], 1955Collage out of paper and cardboard glued on cardboard30,5 × 26,5 cmPrivate collection

Composition, 1960 Silkscreen57 × 43 cm Acquired 1995 Daimler Art Collection

coryphée, 1961Marble, pedestal: graniteHight 90 cmAcquired 1986Daimler Art Collection

7574

Julius Bissier(1893 Freiburg, D – 1965 Ascona, CH)Ohne Titel [Untitled], 1935Ink on Japanese paper35,5 × 25,5 cmPrivate collection

Georges Braque(1882 Argenteuil, F – 1963 Paris, F)FOX, 1911Drypoint on handmade paper65,5 × 50,2 cmPrivate collection

Carlo Carrà(1881 Quargnento, I – 1966 Milan, I)La madre de Gesù [The Mother of Jesus], 1922Etching on handmade paper49 × 35 cmPrivate collection

Max Bill(1908 Winterthur, CH – 1994 Berlin, D)rote quadrate [red squares], 1946Oil on canvas60 × 60 cm Acquired 1985Daimler Art Collection

Trilogie [Trilogy], 1957 Silkscreen3 partsEach 67,5 × 93,5 cm Acquired 2003 Daimler Art Collection

Marc Chagall(1887 Vitebsk, RUS – 1985 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, F)Présentation [Presentation], 1912/13Gouache on paper24 × 15 cmPrivate collection

Albert Gleizes(1881 Paris, F – 1953 Avignon, F)Peinture à trois éléments [Painting with Three Elements], 1927Gouache on paper on cardboard36,5 × 27,5 cmPrivate collection

Roberta González(1909 Paris, F – 1976 Monthyon, F) Sitzende [Seated], 1948Oil on cardboard40 × 23 cmPrivate collection

Camille Graeser(1892 Carouge, CH – 1980 Zurich, CH)Synthetische Konstruktion (Z1946.1A) [Synthetic Construction], 1946Ink on textured paper36 × 49 cm Acquired 1986Daimler Art Collection

harmonikale konstruktion, 1947/51Oil, tempera on canvas40 × 75 cm Acquired 1983Daimler Art Collection

Mit progressiven Radien [With Progres-sive Radii], 1949-54Ink and tempera on drawing card-board36,6 × 51 cmPrivate collection

7776

Paul Klee(1879 Münchenbuchsee, CH – 1940 Muralto, CH)Die Himmels Säule [The Sky Column], 1917Watercolor on layers of chalk and linen on cardboard21 × 17,8 cmPrivate collection

Mildtropische Landschaft [Mild Tropical Landscape], 1918Watercolor and pencil on layers of chalk on parachute silk on cardboard23,9 × 18,9 cmPrivate collection

Franz Krause(1897 Hemmoor, D – 1979 Wupper-tal, D)Ohne Titel [Untitled], 1931Watercolor45 × 35 cmPrivate collection

korrelative konkretion [correlative concretion], 1952Oil on canvas39 × 79 cm Acquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

Hans Hartung(1904 Leipzig, D – 1989 Antibes, F)Ohne Titel [Untitled], 1947Colored pencil drawing50,3 × 64 cmPrivate collection

Wassily Kandinsky(1866 Moscow, RUS – 1944 Neuilly-sur-Seine, F)Rot im Quadrat [Red in the Square], 1931Watercolor and ink on paper34 × 33,9 cmPrivate collection

Le Corbusier(1887 La Chaux-de-Fonds, CH – 1965 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, F)Untitled (table avec livre) [Untitled (table with book)], circa 1924Pastel on cardboard on linen covered cardboard102,5 × 82,5 cm Private collection

Untitled, 1930 Pen-and-ink drawing and colored pen on paper44 × 34 cmPrivate collection

Untitled (femme avec bateau) [Untitled (Woman with Boat)], 1932Pastel, ink and pen on paper on watercolor paper21 × 31 cmPrivate collection

Fernand Léger(1881 Argentan, F – 1955 Gif-sur-Yvette, F)Femme et nature morte [Woman and Still Life], 1921Oil on canvas49,3 × 65,3 cmPrivate collection

Frauenkopf mit Gitarre [Woman Head with Guitar], 1927Oil, gouache and watercolor on canvas30,5 × 35,5 cmPrivate collection

Ohne Titel (Figur und Schlüssel) [Untitled (Figure and Key)], 1929 Oil on canvas45,7 × 32,9 cmPrivate collection

7978

Otto Meyer-Amden(1885 Bern, CH – 1933 Zurich, CH)Knabenakt mit gekreuzten Beinen [Nude Boy with Legs Crossed], 1926Pencil on paper21,5 × 13,5 cm Acquired 1986Daimler Art Collection

Studie mit sitzender Figur im Halbprofil [Study with Seated Figure in Half Profile], 1928Graphite, color pencil, ink27,5 × 21,5 cmAcquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

Studie mit sich Zuneigenden [Study with Leaning Figures], 1928Color pencil, graphite, ink26,5 × 21 cmAcquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

El Lissitzky(1890 Potschinok, RUS – 1941 Moscow, RUS)Proun, 1923 Lithograph on collage55 × 34,1 cmPrivate collection

Proun, 1923 Lithograph on collage59,7 × 44 cm Private collection

August Macke(1887 Meschede, D – 1914 Perthes-lès-Hurlus, F)Abstrakte Formen XVII [Abstract Forms XVII], 1913Colored pen and pencil on paper16,8 × 10,4 cmPrivate collection

Studie mit sich Zuneigenden Figuren [Study with Leaning Figures], 1928Ink, color pencil23,7 × 16 cmAcquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

Studie mit zwei Kompositionen sitzen-der Figuren [Study with Compositions of Two Seated Figures], 1929 Ink, color pencil21,4 × 15,7 cmAcquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

Joan Miró(1893 Barcelona, E – 1983 Palma, Majorca, E)Femme à l’ombrelle [Woman with Parasol], 1938Gouache, ink and collage on card-board45 × 24,2 cmPrivate collection

Mauve de la lune [Purple Moon], 1952Lithograph 41,4 × 32 cmPrivate collection

László Moholy-Nagy(1895 Bácsborsód, H – 1946 Chicago, USA)Ohne Titel [Untitled], 1932Watercolor and ink on paper39,3 × 28,9 cmPrivate collection

Ohne Titel [Untitled], n.d.Lithograph 60 × 44 cmPrivate collection

8180

Oskar Schlemmer(1888 Stuttgart, D – 1943 Baden-Baden, D)Relief H, 1919/1959Aluminum65,4 × 27,5 × 3,2 cmAcquired 1985Daimler Art Collection

Figurine mit Großmaske, Riesenmario-nette [Figurine with High Mask, Giant Marionette], 1927Pencil, ink and watercolor on waterco-lor paper50,8 × 38 cmAcquired 1989Daimler Art Collection

Brustbild eines Jünglings schräg nach links gewandt [Half-length portrait of a young man turned inclined to the left], 1929Pastel and pencil48 × 37 cmPrivate collection

Amédée Ozenfant(1886 Saint-Quentin, F – 1966 Cannes, F)Quatre Baigneuses [Four Bathers], circa 1930Oil on wood40 × 30 cmPrivate collection

Pablo Picasso(1881 Málaga, E – 1973 Mougins, F)Tête d’Homme à la Pipe [Head of a Man with a Pipe], 1912 Etching13,1 × 11 cmPrivate collection

Guitare et Compotier [Guitar and Bowl], 1925Pen and watercolor on paper11 × 14,2 cmPrivate collection

Wandfries im Haus Mendelsohn Berlin, Wandbildentwurf, 1930[Wall Frieze for House Mendelsohn Berlin, Mural Study]Pastel on cardboard 113 × 328,5 cmAcquired 1992Daimler Art Collection

Frauenkopf vom Rücken und zwei Profile [Female Head from Back and Two Profiles], 1935Oil on primed wood fibre27 × 25 cmAcquired 1992Daimler Art Collection

Zwei Köpfe [Two Heads], 1943Oil on canvas, clamped on cardboard, covered with spirit varnish25,5 × 21,5 cmAcquired 1992Daimler Art Collection

Kurt Schwitters(1887 Hanover, D – 1948 Kendal, GB)Mz. 12. Bommbild, 191911,9 × 9,7 cmCollage, colored pen, pencil, waterco-lor and paper on paperPrivate collection

Merzbild 35 A, 1921Assemblage, oil, cardboard, wood, metal and wire mesh nailed on canvas22,2 × 16,8 cmPrivate collection

8382

Georges Vantongerloo(1886 Antwerp, B – 1965 Paris, F)Fonction courbes vertes (RN6896) [Green Curves Function], 1938Oil on Masonite80 × 37 cmAcquired 1988Daimler Art Collection

Courbes (RN6971) [Curves], 1939Oil on Masonite60 × 35 cmAcquired 1988Daimler Art Collection

Composition (RN5674), 1944Oil on Masonite72 × 52 cmAcquired 1987Daimler Art Collection

Michel Seuphor(1901 Antwerp, B – 1999 Paris, F)Tableau Poeme (with a text by Michel Seuphor), 1928Lithograph on paper64,5 × 49,8 cmPrivate collection

Kleine Holzmusik [Small Wooden Music], 1953Ink48 × 64 cmPrivate collection

Gino Severini(1883 Cortona, I – 1966 Paris, F)Ohne Titel [Untitled], n.d. Ink on paper27,3 × 21,1 cmPrivate collection

Zao Wou-Ki(1920 Beijing, CN – 2013 Nyon, CH)Schiffe und Fische [Ships and Fishes], 1953Watercolor and ink on handmade paper32 × 50 cmPrivate collection

84