Expressionists

A crucial introduction to the origins of the German Expressionist movement and the influential Blue Rider group, focusing on their relationships and transcultural interests
 
Founded in Munich in the 1910s, the Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) was a revolutionary group of artists that included Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Franz Marc, Gabriele Münter, and Marianne von Werefkin, among many others. Their experiments with abstraction were key to the development of German Expressionism, and their practice was stunningly varied. The group’s works encompassed painting, sculpture, design, curation, publishing, printmaking, textiles, performative arts, and even branched into theology and spirituality.
 
This book offers an essential overview of German Expressionism and the Blue Rider, with a particular focus on relationships, gender dynamics, and the group’s transcultural concerns. New scholarship from more than a dozen international experts illuminates these themes as well as questions of spatiality, studio practice, and networking, with particular focus on the contributions of the group’s women. This richly illustrated catalogue features works by these acclaimed artists along with a trove of materials from their personal collections, including travel photography, international art, crafts, and vernacular artifacts, and a comprehensive biographical section that serves as an important introduction to the group’s members, including those who are lesser known.
 
Published in association with Tate
 
Exhibition schedule:
 
Tate Modern, London
(April 25–October 20, 2024)