Artist: Kurt Schwitters (1887 - 1948)
Nationality: German
Movement: Dadaism
Media: Painting
Influences:

Biography:
After studying at the Dresden Academy, Kurt Schwitters worked as a designer, architect, typographer, writer, and publisher while pursuing his painting. Initially curious about Cubism, Schwitters eventually developed more Dadaist style, probably because of the influence from artists such as Arp and Hausmann. He incorporated found objects and junk into his montage pieces in three-dimensional pieces that he called Merzbau, meaning “cast-off construction.” He ran the Dadaist magazine, Merz, named after this term from 1923 to 1932. With the rise of Nazism, Schwitters moved to Norway and then finally to England in 1940, where he died.

Artworks in Museum Collections: (60)
Click the artwork titles below to see actual examples of artwork or works of art relevant to works by Kurt Schwitters.

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Kurt Schwitters Merz 8 Lithograph 19th - 20th century
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Dr. Gustav Pfister, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , 19th century, Pen and ink
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Untitled (Relief with Hourglass Shape), Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , 1939, Oil and wood
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Kurt Schwitters Composition with head in left profile Lithograph 1921
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Untitled (One Hundred Thousand Marks), Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1924, Collage on paper
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Lithograph 4 from MERZ 3 portfolio, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , 1923, Lithograph printed in blue on Velin paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , 1919, Woodcut on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1922, Woodcut on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , circa 1920, Lithograph on wove paper
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Construction for Noble Ladies, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , 1919, Cardboard, wood, metal, and paint
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The cathedral, Kurt Schwitters (Germany, Hannover, 1887 - 1948) , 1920, Printed material and eight lithographs on wove paper
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Kurt Schwitters - Self Portrait 1940 ink and crayon Arkansas Arts Center German
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Ursonate de Schwitters (1932) by HAUSMANN Raoul
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S.M.S Strassburg ; Le bateau à vapeur (Titre attribué) (1914) by HASSENKAMP Kurt
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The Family, Kurt Beyerlein (born 1904)  (Artist), 1924, Etching on heavy laid paper
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Untitled, Kurt Arendt (1893 - 1978) , 1922, Woodcut on wove paper
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Smoker, Kurt Mülhlenhaupt , 1970, Woodcut on machine made paper
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Bird Call, Kurt Weiser (United States, born 1950) , 1998, Porcelain
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Untitled, Kurt Koger (born 1899)  (Artist), 1922, Etching on soft wove paper paper
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Untitled, Kurt Arendt (1893 - 1978) , circa 1922, Woodcut on wove paper
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Chimère, Kurt Seligmann (Switzerland, 1900 - 1962) , 1932, Etching and roulette
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Promenade, Kurt Seligmann (Switzerland, 1900 - 1962) , circa 1938, India ink on paper
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Max Kaus Kopf, plate at p. 309 in the book, Genius ([Munich]: Kurt Wolff, 1920), vol. 2 woodcut 1920
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Tall Charcoal Vase, Kurt Weiser (United States, born 1950) , 1982, Porcelain, glaze
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AndrÈ Rouveyre Kopf, plate at p. 321 in the book, Genius ([Munich]: Kurt Wolff, 1920), vol. 2 woodcut 1920
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Georg Ehrlich Trˆstung, plate at p. 129 in the book, Genius ([Munich]: Kurt Wolff, 1920), vol. 2 lithograph 1920
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Frans Masereel Business-man, plate at p. 159 in the book, Genius ([Munich]: Kurt Wolff, 1920), vol. 2 woodcut 1920
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Erste Herbstausstellung 1922 Künstlerbund Schlesiens, Kurt Arendt (1893 - 1978) , 1922, Woodcut on wove paper
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In the snowstorm, Kurt Schafer (1886 - 1915) , circa 1915, Lithograph on wove paper
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner frontispiece for the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled, pg. 29, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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The fish and its cook, Kurt Mohlenhaupt , 1980 reprint (originally 1978), Woodcut printed in red on wove paper
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner title page in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Field battery, Kurt Schafer (1886 - 1915) , circa 1915, Lithograph on wove paper
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Erich Heckel M‰dchenkopf, plate at p. 115 in the book, Genius ([Munich]: Kurt Wolff, 1920), vol. 2 woodcut 1920
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Exotic Bird Demi-tasse Cup and Saucer, Kurt Wendler  (Designer), circa 1921, Porcelain with painted decoration and gilding
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Exotic Bird Demi-tasse Cup and Saucer, Kurt Wendler  (Designer), circa 1921, Porcelain with painted decoration and gilding
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled, at end of table of contents, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Untitled, Kurt Löwengard (Germany, Hamburg, 1895 - 1940) , circa 1923, Woodcut on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Löwengard (Germany, Hamburg, 1895 - 1940) , circa 1923, Woodcut on wove paper
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Untitled, Kurt Löwengard (Germany, Hamburg, 1895 - 1940) , circa 1923, Woodcut on wove paper
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Die Vˆgel ," pg. 45, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Die St‰dte ," pg. 19, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Multiple Artists Genius ([Munich]: Kurt Wolff, 1920), vol. 2 book with original pieces in various media and reproductions 1920
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Shadow of life, Kurt Wolff  (Publisher), 1924, Printed material and fifty woodcuts on wove paper
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Shadow of life, Kurt Wolff  (Publisher), 1924, Printed material and fifty woodcuts on wove paper
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Die Nacht ," pg. 34, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Die Messe ," pg. 61, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Hymne ," pg. 62, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Die Stadt ," pg. 32, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Der Krieg ," pg. 3, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Die Seefahrer ," pg. 10, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924
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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Untitled headpiece for chapter titled "Kata ," pg. 31, in the book Umbra Vitae: Nachgelassene Gedichte by Georg Heym (Munich: Kurt Wolff, 1924). Woodcut on cream laid paper 1924

Artnews Articles and Exhibition Information: (17)
Click on any of the links below to read about artnews or exhibitions related to Schwitters

Arts Trust for Social and Environmental Change: Kurt Schwitters: Merzbarn Conference, England
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Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen: In the beginning was MERZ: From Kurt Schwitters until today
He used the term MERZ for a concept which united all his artistic activities, naming his works MERZ drawings, MERZ paintings, MERZ sculptures, MERZ publications. He also organi...
Museum Tinguely: Kurt Schwitters. MERZ – a total vision of the world
In 1919 he invented his own artistic movement, Merz; the term is taken from the bank name "Kommerz- und Privatbank". From now on he grouped together all aspects of his very varied artistic activities – painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, dr...
Portland Museum of Art: Collage : Piecing It Together
Collage (from the French, coller, to glue) is a work of art made from the assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. It became a distinctive part of the modern movement in the early 20th century, notably deployed by Georges Braque a...
CollageGallery.Com: All new exhibitions on CollageGallery.Com
Off the Rectangle! cis an exhibition of the free-form collage of David Turner. The accompanying short esssay by that name provides a provocative challenge to collagists to reexamine the connection of collage to painting....
Modern Museum of Art: Modern Starts: Things
In painting, the still-life genre, with its focus on the representation of objects, experienced a renewed interest. Beginning with P...
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College: Summer Reading: The Recreation of Language in Twentieth-Century Art
Drawn from the collections of the Loeb Art Center and 14 public and private sources, this international survey unites paintings, photographs, prints, drawings, collages, books and book-objects, poet-artist collaborations, and more by over 50 ar...
Phillips Auctioneers: Phillips, de Pury and Luxembourg to Auction Hoener Collection of 20th Century German Art
Phillips, de Pury and Luxembourg will auction the Diethelm Hoener Collection of 20th Century German Art on Monday, November 5 at 11:00 am. Among the highlights of the collection are two rare beach scenes by Max Liebermann, which illustrate...
Kettle's Yard Gallery, University of Cambridge: Avant Garde Graphics 1918-1934
This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see posters, prints, book designs and political and commercial ephemera, together with original layouts and photomontages, produced by some of the most important artists working at that time. Bringing toget...
Michael Dunev Art Projects: Sculpture by Manuel Sola / 20th Century Avantgarde
Their strong verticality recall the totems and ceremonial figures of African and Oceanic cutlures, and like them, give material sense to a spiritual world shared by all humanity. They are prayers to a world that is unravelling, presented with humi...
Haus der Kunst: Tune the World: Sound sculptures - Pictures - Drawings

Stephan von Huene was born in Los Angeles in 1932 as the son of Baltic-German emigrants. He studied free art and art history at the University of California Los Angeles and the Chouinard Art Institute, among other places. In 1971 began his long te...
Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona: Gaudi's Universe: One of the Central Exhibitions of the Year of Gaudi
Gaudí and art: this is the theme of an exhibition which presents a completely new, comprehensive angle on the work of this inspired architect. Like an exultant "maison d'artiste", Gaudí Universe takes us into the complex mental and aesthetic wo...
Stedelijk Museum: Mandarin Ducks: Jeroen de Rijke and Willem de Rooij
A distinctive feature of the Venice presentation of Mandarin Ducks was the spatial situation in which there was a relation between the light and architecture of the Rietveld Pavilion in the Giardini of the Biennale, and the set used in making the ...
Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg: Gary Hill: Selected Works 1976 - 2001
An American, living in Seattle, he began his artistic career as a sculptor. The Kunstmuseum now presents a representative survey of Hill’s video pieces. The early videos of the 1970s, which concentrate on formal experimentation, are included a...
Haus der Kunst: GROTESQUE! 130 Years of Witty Art
GROTESQUE! 130 Years of Witty Art presents works possessing those characteristics attributed to the concept of the grotesque in Meyers Konversationslexikon (an influential encyclopaedia) in 1895: "The result of a humour which - apparently without ...
University of Richmond Museums, Marsh Gallery: Hannelore Baron: Works from 1967 to 1987
It is her works fragility, both physical and spiritual-the sense of quiet, private anguish expressed through forlorn materials and ...
Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain (FIAC), Paris Expo: 29th Annual Modern and Contemporary Art Fair Presents 170 Galleries from 23 Countries
This year’s fair includes a rigorous selection of international galleries, focusing on individual and thematic shows, new and previously unseen works, and site-specific installations. The fair will be divided into five sections: Solo Shows; Group ...

Further Artwork and Information:

The Kurt Schwitters Page
Kurt-Schwitters - Sprengel Museum Hannover
Kurt Schwitters Online
Kurt Schwitters, 1887/1949
12Schwitters-intro
Guggenheim Collection - Artist - Schwitters - Biography
KUWITTER
Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948)
Colin Morton: The Merzbook: Kurt Schwitters Poems
Cut And Paste: Kurt Schwitters

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