Between 1916 and 1925 Paul Klee (1879-1940) made some 50 hand puppets for his son, Felix, of which 30 are still in existence. For the heads, he used materials from his own household: beef bones and electrical outlets, bristle brushes, leftover bits of fur and nutshells. Soon he began to sew costumes. These characters and small works, do not pretend to be great art, but at the same time, they are superbly imaginative, sweetly reminiscent of Klee's relationships with his family, and beautifully illustrative of the artistic and social developments of the time. Readers will see the chronological proximity of Dada and Kurt Schwitters's collages in Klee's Matchbox Ghost; the German National caricatures one of the era's more ominous political types. An introductory essay tracks the work's links to other avant-garde puppetry and to Klee's sculptural works, and notes his connections to the theater. For their part, Klee's son Felix and his grandson Alexander tell the story of how the figures were created.
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About the Author
Paul Klee was born in Munchenbuchsee near Bern in 1879. In the early 1910s, he met Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc in Munich, and together they founded the Blaue Reiter movement. Through his involvement with Cubism, Klee then began to move towards abstract representation and to add greater depth of differentiation to his palette by using watercolor painting. He taught at the Bauhaus under Walter Gropius and later at the Dusseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, leaving his post to escape the Nazis for Bern, where he died in 1940.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By S. WATSON
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just got this newly published book and it is simply wonderful. I have a huge puppet book library and having just skimmed through it, I am thrilled to see all photos/puppets are ones I've never seen anywhere else. The puppets of Klee are an absolute inspiration, and I am so glad there is a new book that introduces them to a new generation. The only other book about these puppets is in the range of $500.00 if you can even find one, so this is an absolute steal, and probably will become collectible as well. This is put out by the new Paul Klee museum and text and photos are all fascinating. You must have this for your puppet library!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Pat Irish
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book for more "out there" puppeteers, artists and lovers of Paul Klee's art. His son, Felix, reminisces about his childhood with his artistic Papa, who built whimsical, sometimes scary and political, puppets for his young son's enjoyment. There are many photos of the restored puppets and Felix's stories about them and his father are charming.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Nagagirl
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you like the work of Klee, this book will show a larger picture of
his life, family and times. The puppets are raw and made with whatever
was near. With a light hand, the political and social events
are added to give a feeling of where these were created in time.
These puppets seem very modern and ancient at once. So glad to have it in
my collection.
his life, family and times. The puppets are raw and made with whatever
was near. With a light hand, the political and social events
are added to give a feeling of where these were created in time.
These puppets seem very modern and ancient at once. So glad to have it in
my collection.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning.
Such a fascinating topic. Nicely done book. I love these private types of work, done out of love and passion, but not revealed to the rest of the world.
Published 2 months ago by L. Hale
5.0 out of 5 stars
a look at the intimate and personal Klee
For over 50 years Klee has been a favorite of mine and I have many books on him.......a few had brief mentions of his puppets and a few small black and white photos....... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Pat Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars
Klee puppets
Bizarre puppets with a story . . .this book was an interesting find for anyone interested in this type of thing.
Published 21 months ago by Rita M. Daley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb!
If you are familiar with Klee's museum work, this book will knock your socks off! I was on an art holiday in SoCal, not having yet had a chance to look through the Norton-Simon... Read more
Published on December 13, 2008 by Damon Rich
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