Poster for Klee Exhibition at Berggruen & Cie

The Poster for Klee Exhibition at Berggruen & Cie was created in 1955 for a posthumous showing of Paul Klee's work at the esteemed Berggruen & Cie gallery in Paris. Classified as a design piece, this promotional artwork is a notable example of mid-century exhibition graphics. The piece was realized as a lithograph, a popular printmaking technique used frequently for high-volume commercial and artistic reproduction. The choice of lithography allows for the clean, precise delineation of forms and vibrant color saturation, necessary for a successful public advertisement.

While Klee himself died in 1940, this 1955 poster captures the enduring appeal and stylistic hallmarks of the German artist’s oeuvre. The composition typically incorporates elements characteristic of Klee's approach to abstraction, featuring delicate lines, subtle geometric relationships, and a calculated use of color fields often derived from his influential work at the Bauhaus. Post-War Europe saw a resurgence in celebrating modern masters, and this poster served both as advertisement and as an homage to one of the most significant figures in 20th-century German modernism.

The Berggruen gallery, founded by collector Heinz Berggruen, was pivotal in promoting Klee’s legacy, making works like this poster essential historical documents of modern art commerce. As an example of early graphic design promoting fine art, this work serves an important archival function detailing the exhibition history of the period. The original lithograph resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. Today, many high-resolution images and prints of works like the Poster for Klee Exhibition at Berggruen & Cie are often accessible through public domain initiatives, allowing for broader study and appreciation of Klee’s profound influence on subsequent generations of artists and designers.