Mz 379. Potsdamer
Kurt Schwitters
German, 1887–1948
1922
A compact Merz collage in which Schwitters cut and pasted colored and printed scraps—advertising, newspaper, patterned paper—into an abstract composition that elevates everyday detritus into art.
Youʼre struck by the jagged, layered fragments—red-and-white gingham, newspaper bits, flat black vertical shapes and the bold printed word “Potsdamer”—whose torn edges and overlapping planes make a lively, textured patchwork.
As an example of Schwittersʼ Merz practice, it helped recast commercial ephemera and refuse as legitimate artistic materials, influencing later collage, assemblage, and found-object art.
Medium
Cut-and-pasted colored and printed papers on paper with cardstock border
Dimensions
11 x 9 3/8" (27.9 x 23.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
97.1936
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
