Kurt Schwitters

KURT SCHWITTERS

Kurt Schwitters was a German Artist most recognisable for his work in Surrealism, Constructivism, Dadaism and even Installation Art (3D work of art that alter the perception of a space) as well as poetry and music. He studied Art at the Dresden Academy along side Otto Dix and Georg Grosz.

Kurt Schwitters famously quoted:

"In the war [at the machine factory at Wilfen] I discovered my love for the wheel and recognised that machines are abstractions of the human spirit".

Kurt Schwitters worked heavily with collages, creating "Merz". Merz has been described as a psychological collage. Mostly attempting to make an aesthetic sense of the world around him. One of Schwitters pieces was "Merzbau" in which he converted 6 (or maybe more) rooms in a family house. This was later taken down by the Nazis during the War.

During the late 1930's Germany continued to deteriorate under the Nazis. Some of Schwitters work was confiscated and even publicly humiliated. Later, after being called for an interview with the Gestapo, he fled to Norway to meet his son, who had also fled the country to seek refuge in a safe country.