Max Klinger (German, 1857 – 1920), The Intermezzi Portfolio

January 18 – March 22, 2013

Max Klinger (1857–1920), was widely recognized as one of the central artistic figures in Germany at the turn of the 20th- century.

Intermezzi, Opus IV (first published in 1881) is not a thematically series of prints, but rather an assemblage of diverse themes, including subjects such as Cupid, an elf, and the figure of death, and several plates each devoted to the mythological lives of centaurs and to the baroque novel Simplicius Simplicissimus, by H. J. C. von Grimmelshausen (1669).

In this portfolio of twelve masterful etchings and aquatints, Klinger created images that embraced Romantism, Symbolism and the sublime in various ways to explore his favorite themes of desire, fantasy, and death.

2012 Museum purchase with funds from the Dorothy Stiles Blankfort ‘31 Fund and the Robert A. and Minna F. Johnson Art Acquisition Fund.

Organized with assistance from curatorial intern Douglas P. Welsh ’14.