Cesar Klein, expressionist

German Expressionism, what does it mean to you? Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, Franz Marc, are some of the names that come to your mind, probably.

If I say Cesar Klein, does it ring a bell for you? If it doesn't, don't worry; Klein (1876-1954) is one of the "forgotten" expressionists. It is true that he dispersed his talents in many directions: he was a painter, but also a theatrical designer. He decorated the interior of the Marmorhaus cinema in Berlin, and designed the sets for "Genuine", a film by Robert Wiene, yes, the same Wiene that some months earlier had made "The cabinet of doctor Caligari". 

He had the nerve to say no to Gropius's offer of a teaching position at the Bauhaus, and that alone should grant him a place in history. Of course, he couldn't foretell that Bauhaus would become such a myth, otherwise I doubt he would have turned down Gropius...

Klein was politically very active, being one of the founder of the Novembergruppe. And he was, in time, like other avantgarde artists, classed as a degenerate artist by the Nazis, which amounts to a Hall of Fame of sorts, in today's view. 

"Genuine", by Robert Wiene