Tempel Wandmalerei II (Temple wall painting II)

1920

Swiss, 1879-1940

Paul Klee was known for his almost child-like compositions that often deconstructed recognizable forms into simplistic pictograms. This work is one of several that relates to images of temples, temple gardens, and walls, inspired by a 1914 trip to Tunisia. Architectural in its massing but devoid of space, it has a density of pattern and decoration akin to tapestries.

Gouache on paper

Overall: 17 1/2 x 14 7/8 in. (44.5 x 37.8cm)

Gift of Sidney and Anne Gerber

52.107

Provenance: {Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, California}; purchased from gallery by Anne (1910-2005) and Sidney Gerber (d. 1965), Seattle, Washington; to Seattle Art Museum, 1952

Photo: Eduardo Calderón

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Contemporary Trends in International Art, Apr. 7 - May 1, 1955.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver Art Gallery, The Seattle Art Museum Lends, Mar. 13 - Apr. 11, 1976. No cat. no.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, International Abstraction: Making Painting Real, May 2, 2003 - Feb. 29, 2004.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Modern in Europe: Featuring Selections from the Collection of Gladys and Sam Rubinstein, Nov. 5, 2004 - Apr. 17, 2005.

Published ReferencesKersten, Wolfgang. Paul Klee Sonderklass Unverkauflich. Cologne: Wienand, 2014; reproduced p. 210, fig. 44.

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