Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider opens at Tate Modern

The enduring vision of a borderless creative community is chronicled in Tate Modern’s latest exhibition, writes Daria Hufnagel

Saturday 20 April 2024 06:00 BST

‘Listening (Portrait of Jawlensky)’ by Gabriele Münter, 1909 (Lenbachhaus Munich)

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In the early 20th century, the international collective known as Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) ignited a revolution in modern art.

Their remarkable journey is chronicled in the exhibition Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider at Tate Modern, showcasing the group’s daring explorations of form, colour, sound, and performance.

Drawing from the esteemed Lenbachhaus collection in Munich, renowned for housing the world’s richest collection of expressionist masterpieces, the exhibition celebrates iconic figures such as Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc, and Paul Klee, while also highlighting previously overlooked artists such as Vladimir Burliuk and Maria Franck-Marc.

‘Promenade’ by August Macke 1913 (Lenbachhaus Munich)

‘The Dancer Alexander Sacharoff’ by Marianne von Werefkin, 1909 (Fondazione Marianne Werefkin/Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna)

‘Deer in the Snow II’ by Franz Marc, 1911 (Lenbachhaus Munich)

Bound by a shared mission to express personal experiences and spiritual ideas, the Der Blaue Reiter collective united artists from western and eastern Europe, as well as the US. In two public exhibitions in Munich in 1911 and 1912, the group boldly showcased their vision of cultural diversity, emphasising that “the whole work, called art, knows no borders or nations, only humanity”.

Their groundbreaking Almanac, published in 1912 by Kandinsky and Marc, is a further testament to the group’s progressive ethos.

‘Tiger’ by Franz Marc, 1912 (Lenbachhaus Munich)

Wassily Kandinsky, ‘Improvisation Deluge’, 1913 (Lenbachhaus Munich)

Cover of the Der Blaue Reiter almanac by Kandinsky and Marc, 1912 (V&A)

In addition to tracing the collective’s emergence and evolution prior to the First World War, the exhibition also highlights their lasting influence.

Through manifestos, editorials, curated exhibitions, and partnerships with museums and galleries, the artists cemented their legacy.

Although the group disbanded with the onset of the First World War, their vision of a transnational creative community remains compelling and relevant to this day.