A gorgeous compilation of Kandinsky's art, remarkable in its breadth and diversity and in the large number of important and fascinating paintings it unearths, this catalogue documents an exhibition at Munich's city museum, to which in 1957 Kandinsky's jilted companion, Gabriele Munter, donated her private collection of his works, now being shown in its entirety for the first time. The emphasis is on the period from 1900 to 1914, which saw the Russian artist's gradual shift to abstraction. His trajectory began with medieval motifs of Old Russia (such as the dreamlike, ominous Colorful Life, made in 1907, with its folksy, chaotic throng surrounding a kremlin), then moved on to brooding or wildly colorful landscapes and interiors. It followed these with religious paintings (St. Vladimir, Angel of the Last Judgment), finally erupting into an abstract yet spiritualized universe of purer forms, colors, energies. Kandinsky scholar Barnett's biographical profile of the artist's sojourns in Munich, Paris, Berlin, Tunisia and Sweden complements 723 illustrations (618 in color) showing oils, watercolors, paintings on glass, drawings, furniture and sculpture. Kandinsky died in 1944 at 78.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Kandinsky was as prolific as he was brilliant and innovative, and it takes as large, well-produced, and luminous a volume as this one to even attempt to embrace the grandness, virtuosity, and abundance of his revolutionary oeuvre. The works found here, some 700 in number and most shown in glorious color, were all created during the pivotal years of 1900^-1914, during which time Kandinsky found his way from representation to abstraction. Barnett, editor of a 1992 book devoted to Kandinsky's watercolors, and her distinguished contributors provide useful biographical and aesthetic contexts for his extraordinary achievement. Curiously, there are two stories behind this collection. One, of course, is the evolution of Kandinsky's work; the other, a tale of love, betrayal, and sweet revenge, explains how these treasures came to be housed in the city museum of Munich. And this book is an event; it's the very first time that this magnificent collection, one that defines the very essence of modern art, has ever been shown in its entirety. Donna Seaman
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