In 1910, the designer and illustrator Alfred Kubin visited his studio, encouraged him, and became one of his most significant collectors. Klee did both graphic artwork and painting, but struggled with both, as domestic demands competed with his time.

They had a son named Felix Paul a year later.įor the first five years of their marriage, Klee stayed home and tended to the child and home, while Stumpf continued to teach and perform. In 1906 Klee returned to Munich, a center of art and artists at the time, to advance his career as an artist and to marry Stumpf, who already had an active career there. Heritage Images/Getty Images / Getty Images Family and Careerĭuring the three years Klee spent studying in Munich he met the pianist Lily Stumpf, who would later become his wife.

He stayed there until his marriage in 1906, during which time he produced a number of etchings which garnered some attention. After that time he returned to Bern in May of 1902 to digest what he had absorbed in his travels. In June of 1901, after three years of study in Munich, Klee traveled to Italy where he spent most of his time in Rome. Klee went to Munich in 1898 to study at the private Knirr Art School, working with Erwin Knirr, who was very enthusiastic about having Klee as his student, and expressed the opinion at the time that 'if Klee persevered the result might be extraordinary.' Klee studied drawing and painting with Knirr and then with Franz Stuck at the Munich Academy. However, his love of music continued to have a lifelong influence on his unique and idiosyncratic art. He drew constantly - ten sketchbooks survive from his childhood - and also continued to play music, even as an extra in the Municipal Orchestra of Bern.īased on his broad education, Klee could have gone into any profession, but chose to become an artist because, as he said in the 1920s, 'it seemed to be lagging behind and he felt that perhaps he could help to advance it.' He became a very influential painter, draughtsman, printmaker, and art teacher. He was well-rounded, but his love of art and music were clearly evident. He was particularly interested in his study of Greek and continued to read Greek poetry in the original language throughout his life. Klee was an adequate, but not overly enthusiastic student. He grew up in Bern, Switzerland, where his father had been transferred to work as the conductor of the Bern concert orchestra. Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland on December 18, 1879, to a Swiss mother and a German father, both of whom were accomplished musicians. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. Education: Academy of Fine Arts, Munich.Occupation: Painter (expressionism, surrealism) and educator.Parents: Hans Wilhelm Klee and Ida Marie Klee, née Frick.Born: Decemin Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland.

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