From 26 May until 2 September 2012, Fundación Mapfre, Madrid will present a complete retrospective of the work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 – 1938). Kirchner was one of the key figures of German expressionism, co-founder of the Die Brücke group of artists in 1905 and one of the pioneers of modernist painting. This exhibition will be held at Fundación Mapfre’s Recoletos site in the heart of Madrid and entry is free.

Produced entirely by Fundación Mapfre, the exhibition brings together 153 works from 27 museums and private collections from across the world and counts with the special collaboration of the Kirchner Museum in Davos and the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Legacy. It is co-curated by Karin Schick Director of the Kirchner Museum, Davos and María Luisa Barrio from Fundación Mapfre.

Offering an in-depth survey of the artist’s career across varying themes, styles and mediums, the exhibition radically challenges traditional perceptions of the artist’s work. In particular, the exhibition sheds light on the artist’s prolific period following the First World War, during his period in the asylum and convalescence in Davos. The exhibition also shows, for the first time in Spain, the influence of Bauhaus, Picasso, Le Corbusier and Léger on the artist. As a result the show represents an important turning point in the interpretation of Kirchner’s work.

Press release FR EN 

Image credit: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Zwei gelbe Akte mit Blumenstrauss, ca. 1914-24. Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur. © Kurt Hofmann.