Cesar Klein. Bild Raum Bühne

Cesar Klein (1876–1954) was a modern all-round artist who crossed the boundaries between fine and applied art with remarkable versatility. His output included not only painting and graphic art, but also interior architecture as well as the design of mosaics, stained-glass windows, furniture and porcelain. Moreover, as a stage designer and film set designer, he played a decisive role in shaping cultural life in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. Cesar Klein is undoubtedly one of the most important representatives of Berlin Modernism, both in fine art and in the applied arts. Nevertheless, no monographic exhibition has yet been devoted to him in Berlin. The 150th birthday of the artist now provides the occasion to honour his work with a large-scale show in Berlin. As a visual artist, Klein played a decisive part in the most important avant-garde movements of the pre-war and interwar periods. In 1910 he was among the first members of the Neue Secession, together with expressionist artists such as Max Pechstein. He declined an offer to join the newly founded Bauhaus in 1919.