Kurt Schwitters

Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters

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Born Jun 20, 1887

Hanover, Germany

Passed Away Jan 08, 1948 Kendal, United Kingdom

Lifespan 60 years old

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Notice / Correction

"In the war, everything had crashed down and had to be assembled again from fragments. That was Merz."

Archival Overview

German avant-garde polymath who created 'Merz'—a total art philosophy utilizing street detritus, ticket stubs, and discarded refuse to construct visionary collages and walk-in architectural installations.

Biographical Record

Kurt Schwitters operated independently of Berlin Dada orthodoxy, coining his own movement 'Merz' (derived from the word 'Kommerz'). Believing that the ruins of post-WWI civilization could be reborn through art, he assembled bus tickets, torn packaging, wire, and broken wood into harmonious, lyrical collages and reliefs.

His magnum opus was the 'Merzbau'—a sprawling, evolving architectural sculpture constructed inside his family house in Hanover with grottos and geometric columns, destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943. Schwitters also composed the legendary phonetic sound-poem 'Ursonate' before fleeing Nazi Germany to Norway and England.

Key Life Milestones

1919

Invention of Merz

Founded the Merz concept, exhibiting his revolutionary scrap-material collages at Herwarth Walden's Der Sturm gallery.

1932

Publication of Ursonate

Published and performed his monumental phonetic sound-poem, a foundational milestone of concrete poetry.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Memorial Location
Kendal, United Kingdom

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