About the artworkThe First World War left Kurt Schwitters’ Germany in ruins. This is where he found the fragments for the collages that were his version of futurism and dadaism. Tearing the “merz” from stationery with the letterhead Commerzbank, he began creating works that he called Merzbilden. In a three-storey building in Hannover, these Merzbilden grew into a sprawling structure: Merzbau. The Second World War forced Schwitters to leave the country, going first to Oslo and then to the UK, where he continued working on his linguistic rebellion and anti-hierarchical order, creating new Merzbau houses. His openness to “low” materials and the challenging monumental size of his works presaged future movements in art. Selected exhibition history Mästerverken åter. Verk av spanska konstnärer ur Samling S. runt den återbördade Picassos Källan. (1995) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Ny presentation av samlingen (2000-2002) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Givet av MMV (1972) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Dada-utställningen (1966) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Moderna Museets samling i ny presentation (1998-2000) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Samlingsutställning 2004 - 2011 - I vår tid (2004 - 2011) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Den underjordiska himlen. Surrealism i Moderna Museets samling (den 26 oktober 2024 - den 17 januari 2027) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Önskemuseet (1963-1964) Moderna Museet, Stockholm The Moderna Museet exhibition catalogues Dada : meddelande från Moderna Museets vännerMästerverken åter! Moderna Museet, Spårvagnshallarna : [6 maj - 27 augusti 1995]Givet av Moderna Museets vänner : [Moderna Museet : 22.1 - 13.2 1972]Önskemuseet : the museum of our wishes : notre musée tel qu´il devrait être : museum unserer wünsche : [utställning i Moderna Museet, Stockholm : 26 december 1963 - 16 februari 1964] / ordnad av Moderna Museets VännerThe Masterpieces are back! : Moderna Museet, Spårvagnshallarna : [May 6th - August 27th 1995] Bibliography Walden, Herwarth, Einblick in Kunst, Berlin, Verlag Der Sturm, 1924. Jola, Eugene, Transition nr. 3, juni 1927, ill. Rubin, William S, Dada, Surrealism adn Their Heritage, New York 1968, s 53, ill. s 56. Schmalenbach, W., Karl Schwitters (1970), ill. s 59. Elderfield, John, Kurt Schwitters, London 1985, s 13, 26, 50, 52, 63, 73, ill. s 46. New History of World Art, Japan 1996, ill. nr. 24. Stokes, Charlotte och Foster, Stephen C., Dada Cologne Hanover, New York 1997, s 156, 157, 159.

Works by the artist