Olivier Berggruen Bücher

There are artists who observe the world and those who create their own visionary cosmologies, building personal mythologies through motifs. Paul Klee (1879-1940) exemplified the latter, as reflected in his aphorism, "Art does not reproduce the visible, rather it makes visible." His work is explored through this lens. In 1906, Klee declared, "All will be Klee," and by 1911, he began cataloging his creations, which would eventually exceed 9,000 items by his death. This book presents Klee's oeuvre as a cohesive whole, organized thematically around the human life cycle—from birth and childhood to desire, parenthood, and death—as well as music, architecture, theater, religion, plants, animals, landscapes, and darker themes like war and fear. It reimagines Klee as a Renaissance man, showcasing his extensive knowledge and the coherent system of ideas and images within his work. Klee, born and died in Switzerland without ever obtaining citizenship, held German nationality and taught at the Bauhaus from 1921 to 1926, alongside notable contemporaries. His art was infamously included in the Nazi's 1937 exhibition of "degenerate art."

Picasso entdeckte bereits in frühen Jahren das Theater als Inspirationsquelle und Motivlieferant für seine Kunst. Charaktere aus dem Schaubuden- und Volkstheatermilieu und der Commedia dell’Arte, wie der Harlekin und der Pierrot, spielten dabei eine Schlüsselrolle. Die traurigen Spaßmacher wurden zu emotionsgeladenen Identifikationsfiguren des Künstlers. Picassos Faszination für das Theater spiegelt sich jedoch nicht nur in der Motivik unzähliger Gemälde und Zeichnungen wider. Ab 1917 begann er eine intensive Zusammenarbeit mit Diaghilevs Ballets Russes, für die er berühmte Bühnenbilder und Kostüme schuf. Dieses künstlerische Engagement für die Bühne erwies sich als außerordentlich fruchtbares Experimentierfeld, das im malerischen und bildhauerischen Werk seinen Niederschlag fand. Die Publikation zeigt anhand von über 80 Werken von 1900 bis 1930, wie leidenschaftlich der Universalkünstler dem Theater verbunden war. Ausstellung: Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt/Main 21.10.2006–21.1.2007

Olivier Berggruen’s essays on aesthetics dissect some of the twentieth century’s greatest art.

The exhibition, which will display more than 100 works by the artist, will deepen Picasso's production immediately after the Italian experience, documenting the long-term impact of this trip on its formation: from the neoclassical suggestions inspired by ancient sculpture to the Roman Renaissance, until the discovery of Pompeii's parietal painting.