This day dawned bright and rainy. So, we went to the Zentrum Paul Klee and the Kunstmuseum.

The Zentrum Paul Klee is a new (opened 2005) museum devoted entirely to Paul Klee. Klee was born and died in Switzerland, but worked as a painter mostly in Germany. He was one of the members of the Bauhaus, and as with many of the modern artists in Germany, was denounced by the Nazis as a producer of "degenerate" art in 1933. He left Germany shortly thereafter, settling in Bern, and died in 1940. He was a very prolific artist, self-cataloging his work, and leaving upwards of 9000 pieces.

In addition to his own artistry, he was a teacher of art, and his writings on painting influenced a very wide number of modern artists.

The Zentrum Paul Klee has about 4000 of his works, donated by his descendants, of which a rotating number are placed on display in the museum.

The museum itself was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, and is literally buried into the side of a hill in the near Bern suburbs. The above ground part of the museum takes the form of three waves of grey-clad metal.

The Kunstmuseum (art museum) in Bern is located downtown, and holds an extensive collection of art from the middle ages through the present day.

When we finished looking around the Kunstmuseum, the sky started to clear up. We decided to go back to the main part of the old town to see the inside of the cathedral (it closed before we got there the previous day), and to otherwise get some blue sky photographs.


If you're interested in purchasing a print, or licensing an image, please contact me via email.