When Three Painters Take a Trip...
In April 1914, Paul Klee, August Macke, and Louis Moilliet set off on their legendary trip to Tunis, which led them from the city of Tunis via St. Germain and Sidi Bou Said to Hammamet and the desert town of Kairuan. A study trip that left an impression: The artists found entirely new inspirations from the culture, landscape, and architecture of North Africa, which influenced their work - even long after the trip.
Today, the tour of the three painters is considered a key art-historical event of the 20th century. Paul Klee must have had a premonition of this when he wrote in his diary: "The sun of a sinister power. The colourful clarity on the land is auspicious. Macke senses this too. We both know we will do well here."
And that is how it was supposed to be: In just under two weeks, Klee created 35 watercolours and 13 drawings, Macke 33 watercolours and 79 drawings. For Paul Klee, the flood of impressions was even too much, and he left before the other two: "What I experienced was too strong. And I had to leave, too, to reflect. (...) The great hunt is over."
