Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) is more than “just” the Merz artist. This publication supplements his image with the aid of around one hundred selected, surprisingly diverse drawings from private collections and the artist’s estate, most of which have not been exhibited before. These drawings reveal both crucial turning points in the artist’s career as well as stylistic developments, such as Schwitters’s move toward abstract art around 1917, the ensuing experiments with Dada, and important issues he dealt with concerning abstract composition and landscapes. This volume shows that his study of nature was not just an exercise, but that it remained an important source of inspiration throughout his life, serving as a desirable corrective for his work in general. During his period of exile in Norway and England from 1937 onward, he primarily drew travel sketches and executed portrait studies. Exhibition schedule: Sprengel Museum, Hanover, May 15–September 4, 2011 | Kunstmuseum Bern, September 23, 2011–January 8, 2012
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