Artwork details

• Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880–1938)
• Open Edition Giclée print
• Year: 1925
• Framed sizes: See framing details below
• Materials: Giclée print on museum-grade Hahnemühle 260gsm paper
• Shipping: Fast shipping from United Kingdom

About the artist

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading figures of early 20th-century Expressionism. He was a founding member of Die Brücke (The Bridge), a group of artists established in Dresden in 1905 that sought to break away from traditional academic art and forge a new, more emotionally charged visual language.

Kirchner’s work is characterised by bold, unmodulated colour, angular forms and a raw, energetic line. His subjects ranged from nudes and studio scenes to striking depictions of modern urban life, particularly the streets and nightlife of Berlin. These city scenes, often featuring elongated figures and vivid, sometimes jarring colour contrasts, capture both the dynamism and psychological tension of pre-war metropolitan life.

Following the First World War, during which he experienced a mental and physical breakdown, Kirchner relocated to Davos, Switzerland. His later works shifted in tone, often focusing on alpine landscapes and rural life, while maintaining the expressive intensity that defined his earlier practice.

Kirchner worked across painting, woodcut, lithography and sculpture, playing a significant role in reviving the woodcut as a modern artistic medium. His innovative approach to printmaking, with its stark contrasts and carved, graphic quality, became central to the Expressionist aesthetic.

In 1937, his work was labelled “degenerate” by the Nazi regime, and hundreds of his pieces were removed from German museums. Despite this, Kirchner’s legacy endures as one of the most influential artists of German Expressionism, whose work helped redefine the possibilities of modern art through its emotional depth and formal experimentation.