Klänge (Sounds)

1912 (dated 1913) · Books & Publications, Prints · 27.94 × 27.31 cm

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Klänge (Sounds)” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minneapolis, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked: 10 days ago
In this state since: Sep 25, 2026
Source: The museum

On the map Museum page

About the work

Klänge (Sounds) evokes the range of Kandinsky's artistic vision from Russian folk art and Jugendstil (Viennese Art Nouveau) to his pioneering abstractions, which profoundly influenced the direction of 20th-century art. Featuring poems written by the artist, Sounds explores the correlation between the senses of sight and hearing. Kandinsky was believed by some to have had synaesthesia, a condition whereby individuals may hear color or see sounds. Whether true or not, his artistic theories focused on the idea of a visual music, the painterly equivalent of a symphony, which is simultaneously seen and heard.

Kandinsky intended that his poems for Sounds be read aloud, and in fact, the Zürich Dadaists recited them at the Cabaret Voltaire as part of their frequently raucous performances.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Details

Accession number: B.83.18

In the catalog

Prints Woodcut Modernism 20th century Russia

Sources

Minneapolis Institute of Art
Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — © Minneapolis Institute of Art

In the life of Vasily Kandinsky

The whole life

1910
London: the Allied Artists' Exhibition
Kandinsky took part in Frank Rutter's Allied Artists' Exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall in London; the artist Spencer Frederick Gore singled out his work for praise in a review in The Art News.
1910–1911
The treatise “Concerning the Spiritual in Art”
The treatise defended and promoted abstract art and affirmed that all forms of art are equally capable of reaching spirituality; colour in a painting can be autonomous, apart from the depiction of an object. Kandinsky distinguished three kinds of painting: impressions, improvisations and compositions.
1910–1912
The Izdebsky Salons and the Knave of Diamonds
With the Neue Künstlervereinigung Kandinsky took part in two international Izdebsky Salons in Russian cities, from December 1910 to May 1911; in 1910 and 1912 he also exhibited with the Knave of Diamonds.
1911
The birth of the Blue Rider
After the earlier association dissolved Kandinsky formed the Blue Rider with August Macke, Franz Marc, Albert Bloch and Gabriele Münter. The group issued an almanac and held two exhibitions; the war ended further plans.
1911
His first solo exhibition
His first solo exhibition took place in the same years, when the Blue Rider was being born.
1914
The war: back to Russia via Switzerland and Sweden
The outbreak of World War I ended the Blue Rider's plans for further almanacs and exhibitions and sent Kandinsky back to Russia via Switzerland and Sweden; he returned to Moscow in 1914.