ORGANIZED AND CIRCULATED by the National Gallery of Canada, KURT SCHWITTERS: Collage Eye is a rare opportunity to see art work by some of the 20th century’s influential and prominent artists. Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) spent most of his life in the German city of Hanover before being driven into exile by the increasing Nazi threat in 1937. He constructed most of his works out of objects from everyday life, creating his first known collage, Hansi, in 1918. Known best for his collage work and assemblages from scraps of refuse, Schwitters’ independent spirit led to an aesthetic of his own and what he referred to as “Merz”. An artistic visionary and sole exponent of “Merz” art, Schwitters was the first to create an art form that incorporated painting, sculpture, architecture, theatre and poetry simultaneously. 
 
THIS CONCISE AND ILLUMINATING exhibition looks at works by Schwitters and his contemporaries that testify to the impact of historical events in the development of a formal and conceptual approach to art-making. After World War II—in Europe and North America—Schwitters’ artistic influence was most prevalent in the adoption of collage and assemblage techniques and in the use of everyday materials as art objects. From Spoken Word poetry to Pop art, Schwitters’ artistic legacy can be traced across the 20th century.

The art works selected for this exhibition are drawn from the National Gallery of Canada’s Canadian and international collections. The  AGA will host the following events in conjunction with KURT SCHWITTERS: Collage Eye.

Sept 14, 7 pm-2 am: Collage-a-thon
Sept 20, 6:30 pm: MERZ performance by Peter Froehlich

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Click here for a pdf of media release

For publicity images and further information on this exhibition, please contact:
Jolene Pozniak
Media Relations + Communications
t. 780.422.6223  │ e. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it