Klee Behind the Mask

Discover how Paul Klee transformed the mask into a profound artistic language in this compelling SFMOMA exhibition. Klee explored masks as a gateway to move beyond realistic representation toward abstraction, embracing them as vehicles for expressing fragmented identity and psychological complexity. Drawing on theater, folklore, and avant-garde movements like Dada and Surrealism, Klee developed a visual vocabulary where simplified, interlocking figures functioned as symbolic systems rather than realistic portraits. This groundbreaking approach reflected the turbulent spirit of the post-WWI era, when Klee and his contemporaries grappled with loss and upheaval by reinventing artistic expression itself.