Primary Route and Bypasses, c.1929

Swiss painter and graphic artist Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) was one of the most imaginative modern art masters, producing work that spanned an astounding stylistic range. Klee’s small, delicate works are filled with wit and references to dreams, music and poetry, and blended primitive art, Surrealism, Cubism and children's art. Initially creating surreal, satirical pen-and-ink drawings, Klee’s life and art were forever altered when he visited Tunisia and was overwhelmed by its intense light and color. Klee also uses a complex array of signs and symbols drawn from the unconscious, that were meant to fuse abstraction with reality. Klee’s work impacted all 20th century Surrealist and Nonobjective artists, and the budding abstract expressionist movement.