Neue Galerie: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Neue Galerie

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

In this exhibition film for Neue Galerie directed by Jonathan Sanden, exhibition curators Jill Lloyd and Janis Staggs take us through the full career of the German artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) is one of the greatest German artists of the early twentieth century. This exhibition pays tribute to Kirchner’s inventive genius with a focus on his highly individual approach to color, which he viewed as the fundamental building block to his paintings. Yet Kirchner was a multi-talented figure and his work encompassed various media—painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, and even the decorative arts.

In its totality, “Ernst Ludwig Kirchner” underscores the artist’s evolving approach to color and his uncanny ability to capture the spirit of his time. He was profoundly affected by the experience of military training during World War I. This led to a complete nervous breakdown, the effects of which he continued to suffer for the remainer of his life and which probably contributed to his suicide in June 1938 at the age of fifty-eight. His tremendous achievements were remarkable and it is our hope that his work will continue to inspire and spark dialogue.

Directed by Jonathan Sanden

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