Alongside his development of a revolutionary abstract style, Vasily Kandinsky (1866–1944) aspired to go beyond conventional easel painting. His famous large-scale paintings with musical and theatrical associations transformed into veritable environments. The catalogue explores his examination of the concept of the total work of art and includes essays by leading Kandinsky scholars on the importance of the concept and on the artist’s enthusiasm for music and the theater. Separated into three sections, it illustrates how Kandinsky’s fascination for the Wagnerian notion of the Gesamtkunstwerk and the principles of synaesthesia developed into large-scale painting within the context of the two highly significant artistic groups Blaue Reiter and Bauhaus as well as in response to the changing historical circumstances, ultimately culminating in his large-scale decorative utopian murals and installations.

Exhibition schedule: Neue Galerie New York, October 3, 2013–February 10, 2014