The Blue Riders

A small but very influential group of artists changed the face of modern art through “German Expressionism” in and around Munich. Around the turn of the century, these seven productive artists were amazingly influential. Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabiele Munter, August Macke, Alexei Yavlensky, Paul Klee and Alfred Kubin were among the group, and paired with a similar group out of Berlin called The Bridge, made up the heart of German Expressonism. Unfortunately, the group had a short life as several were called to duty in WWI – some for Germany and some for Russia. Kandinsky and Jawlensky regrouped after the war with Klee, and had a prolific career, only to be banned by the Nazis in the late 30s. Today, one of the world’s best collections of the Blue Riders is at the Lenbach Museum in Maxvorstadt, the Florentine villa across from Konigsplatz. In addition to their permanent exhibit, they have two additional showcases on the Blue Riders coming in the next few months.