German
Art Now by Cornelia Homburg, Sean Rainbird, Catharina Machanda, Robin Clark,
Catharina Manchanda
Hardcover from Merrell Publishers
Book Published: October, 2003
Kurt
Schwitters' Merzbau: The Cathedral of Erotic Misery (Building Studies,
5) by Elizabeth Burns Gamard
Book Description: German artist Kurt Schwitters began constructing
the Merzbau, a combination of collage, sculpture, and architecture, in
a corner of his studio in Hannover, Germany in 1920. Also called the Cathedral
of Erotic Misery, this was Schwitters's private world. It eventually took
over his entire living quarters, the apartment above, and part of the yard,
and was divided into rooms-the Biedermeier Room, the de Stijl Room, the
Goethe Cave, the Mondrian Cave, and the Mies Cave, among others. It was
destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in 1943.
Although the Merzbau is of essential importance in understanding the
early Modern Movement, this is the first in-depth study in English of this
structure. Elizabeth Burns Gamard discusses its physical evolution and
its significance within the artist's oeuvre. She also investigates its
larger relation to German Expressionism and romanticism and to critical
thought of the time. This book offers an in-depth analysis of a single
structure through original documents, drawings, and critical examination
of the design process.
Paperback from Princeton Architectural Press
Book Published: December, 2000
