The work of Paul Klee (1879–1940) was deeply influenced by his passion for the theater. Throughout his life, the artist fervently attended theatrical performances, from the opera to puppet shows. Characters from plays or operas—Hamlet, Falstaff, or Don Giovanni, for example—populate his cryptic visual world. Various types of characters or theatrical elements, such as the clown or the mask, were firmly established themes in his pictorial repertoire. However, Klee primarily forged links between the theater and life, and in so doing, he took up the traditional theme of the world as a stage: people became actors or marionettes; theatrical events converged with scenes from everyday life.
This publication sheds light on all of these aspects of Klee’s captivation with the stage. A chronology reconstructs a panoramic view of his multifaceted experience with the theater. Selected works by contemporary artists make it clear that not only Klee was fascinated by the sharp-eyed perception of theatrical situations—it is a topic that continues to engage artists even today.