Kurt Schwitters

Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948), German artist, a member of the Dada movement, best known for the collages and sculptures he assembled from rubbish, and to which he referred by the nonsensical name Merz. Born in Hannover, Schwitters began painting as an expressionist, but in 1919 he turned to collage. Discarded train tickets, newspapers, bus transfers, and other such objects were incorporated into Schwitters's works and were exploited by the artist for their color, texture, and surprise value. The careful linear organization of the collages Schwitters completed after 1922 shows the influence of the Dutch group known as De Stijl (the style). Schwitters also constructed three memorable versions of his Merzbau (Merz building)—a gigantic conglomeration of trash and useless objects. He executed the first version in Germany, the second in Norway, and the third in England, where he died.