Berlin, Street Scene

The Street Scene series is considered by many to be the high point of Kirchner's career. This series of seven paintings is showcased with sixty related prints and drawings. The series dates from Kirchner's Berlin period, when the effect of life in the metropolis brought about a dramatic change in his work. Kirchner is known as the co-founder of the early Expressionist group Brücke, which was established in Dresden in 1905. Kirchner moved to Berlin in 1911 where his sense of rebellion against the confining principles of academic painting and the stifling rules of bourgeois society took a new turn. Kirchner presents the charged atmosphere and energy of the city in an expression of acute perspectives, jagged strokes, dense angular forms, and caustic color. The street life in Berlin, particularly the familiar presence of prostitutes with their elaborate plumed hats, captured Kirchner's eye and inspired this spectacular series.