Marries Helma Fischer.
First collage using gathered
trash.
Founded the “circle of new commercial artists” with Cesar Domela, Lázlo Moholy-Nagy
and Friedrich Vordemberge-Gil-dewart. Willi Baumeister and
Walter Dexel later joined.
Schwitters dies in Westmorland. His work becomes internation-ally recognized. Later inspires artists such as Robert Rauschenberg.
Self exile to Norway to flee
German troops.
First epileptic seizure.
Attends the Royal Sax-on Academy of Art in
Dresden.
“In the war, things were in terrible turmoil. What I had learned at the acade-
my was of no use to me and the useful new ideas were still unready.... Everything had broken down and new things had to be made out of the fragments; and this
is Merz. It was like a revolu-tion within me, not as it was, but as it should have been.”
-Schwitters
“His art and literary texts became a Dadaist institution in Hanover, which he called “Merz”, a frag-
ment of the word ‘Commerzbank.’” -Schwitters-Kurt.com
Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julyus Schwitters is born in
Hanover, Germany.
June 20, 1887
August 1914 Kurt Schwitters
March 12- June 19, 1917
October 5, 1915
1918
1923 1927
January 8, 1948
1937
1901
World War I breaks out and Schwitters
returns home.
1909-1915
1919
Publishes Anna Blume, a collection
of his poems and prose.
DADA
First issue of Merz magazine is
published. Schwitters works as a graphic art-ist and typographer for multiple companies in
Germany.
1917 Shows interest in expres-
sionalism and abstract art.
Drafted in the war. Becomes a soldier in the Reichs-Infanterieregiment 73. After three months, Schwitters is sent home and declared unfit for service due to his
epilepsy.
Kurt Schwitters is credited as the one who inspired the
pop art movement.
Timeline by Alexandra Fileccia
