Kosmos Klee. The Collection
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Permanent Exhibition
Kistlerweg 6, Bern, 1935
Photo: Fee Meisel
Ohne Titel (Villa am Langensee)
[Untitled (Villa at the Langensee)], 1896
Watercolour on paper, 9,9 × 15 cm
Private collection, Switzerland,
deposit at the Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Ohne Titel (Rückenakt) [Nude from Behind], 1902
Pencil on paper on cardboard, 32,5 × 28,5 cm
Private collection, Switzerland,
deposit at the Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
The dynamic permanent exhibition devoted to Paul Klee invites visitors to immerse themselves in the life and work of this important modern artist. With some 80 changing works from the collection, Kosmos Klee offers a chronological survey of Klee’s artistic career. Biographical and archival material provide an insight into his life and time. In addition, the ‘focus room’ offers a space for smaller exhibitions devoted to individual aspects of Klee’s work, or contributions to the artist’s global reception.
In den Häusern v. St. Germain
[ In the Houses of St. Germain], 1914, 110
Watercolour on paper on cardboard
15,5 × 15,9/16,3 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, donation of Livia Klee
Tunesische Scizze [Tunisian Sketch], 1914, 212
Watercolour and pencil on paper on cardboard
17,9 × 12,2 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, donation of Livia Klee
Ohne Titel (Fabrikanlage)
[Untitled (Factory Plant)], 1922
Watercolour and pencil on paper on cardboard
10 × 8,9 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, donation of Livia Klee
Zentrum Paul Klee: The collection
The Zentrum Paul Klee is the world’s most important centre for research into Paul Klee’s life and work, and has one of the most significant collections of the artist’s drawings, watercolours and paintings. Paul Klee was primarily a draughtsman, which is why 80% of the collection of the Zentrum Paul Klee consists of works on paper, matching the collected works. Because of the fragility of the works as well as the large size and diversity of the collection, only parts of it can be displayed at once. Paul Klee enjoyed experimenting, not only in terms of content and form but also technically, using light-sensitive paints, inks and papers. For that reason the works need periods of rest between periods on display.
Paul Klee
Karneval im Gebirge
[Carnival in the Mountains], 1924, 114
Watercolour on primed paper on cardboard
24 × 31,3 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Fische im Kreis [Fishes in a Circle], 1926, 140
Oil and tempera on primed muslin on cardboard
42 × 43 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, donation of Livia Klee
Nordzimmer [North Room], 1932, 17
Watercolour on paper on cardboard
37 × 55 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Kosmos Klee
With Kosmos Klee. The Collection the Zentrum Paul Klee offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in Paul Klee’s life and work, as well as in the unique collection of the institution. Some 80 rotating and chronologically organised works provide an overview of Klee’s artistic development, from the highly detailed early works via tendencies towards abstraction and the discovery of colour, to the reduced pictorial language of the later work. Each decade of Klee’s artistic career is identified by a colour in the exhibition, allowing visitors to find their way intuitively around the space. Brief introductory texts, biographical photographs and films give deeper insights into the different phases of the work and Paul Klee’s engagement with the people around him.
Doppel gesicht [Double face], 1933, 383
Coloured pastel and pencil on paper on cardboard
33 × 21 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, donation of Livia Klee
Spätes Glühen [Late Glowing], 1934, 29
Pastel on damask on cardboard
26,8 x 32,5/34,3 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, donation of Livia Klee
Aside from his works, the Zentrum Paul Klee also preserves the artist’s archive. In the dynamic permanent exhibition, different treasures from the archive are presented, revealing the various aspects of Paul Klee’s life. His love of music is reflected in his record collection and the scores that Paul Klee, a gifted violinist, played from. Klee’s favourite music can be heard as part of a podcast in the exhibition. Parts of the artist’s collection of natural materials, including shells, stones and pages from herbariums, display Klee’s close relationship with nature and natural processes. Other objects include his watercolour box, his schoolbooks, scribbled over with drawings, as well as letters.
Curator: Fabienne Eggelhöfer
And Cover Star Klee, Paul Klee Artworks on Book Covers Exhibition, Through September 14, 2025.
ZENTRUM PAUL KLEE
Monument im Fruchtland 3, 3006 Bern
