Bad Band (Schlechte Musik Kapelle)

1920

Watercolor, pen and ink, and black crayon (?) on thin paper; artist-mounted to paperboard

15.2 × 24.1 cm (6 × 9.5 in)

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In the collection of Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia — check current display status with the museum.

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Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Klee gave this small watercolor the title Schlecte Musik Kapelle (Bad Music Band) . Perhaps the music's badness has resulted from a lack of harmony: the musicians ignore each other as they play their instruments, though at least the yellow trumpeter at front seems to be having fun. Does the purple haze radiating from the band express their dissonant clamor? Klee—a talented violinist from a family of professional musicians—experimented throughout his career with ways of translating musical motifs into painting.

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