Blaue Reiter Almanac (Documents of 20th Century Art) (Paperback)

The editors, Kandinsky and Marc, put together this manifesto before World War I. It's an essential document for understanding the artistic ferment in Germany, France and Russia in the early part of the 20th Century. Marc died at Verdun in 1916; Kandinsky pursued a successful career, and died in Paris during World War II. Both men believed that artists were the spiritual leaders of the future--a belief that still reverberates today.

Originally published in Munich in 1912, and now available in English, The Blaue Reiter Almanac is a valuable scrutiny of the Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) art movement, which was founded in 1911 by painters Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc and remained active in Europe until 1914. The Blaue Reiter Almanac combines an assembly of short essays with black-and-white reproductions of artwork to offer the reader a glimpse into the methodology, purpose, and essence of this short-lived yet passionate movement. An invaluable addition to modern art history shelves.