Mz 299
About this artwork
The 'Mz' in the title of this work stands for 'Merz' and is followed by a number to denote that it is the 299th collage of the series. Schwitters produced around 2000 collages during his life, using coloured and printed papers with a variety of textures. His inclusion of fragments of paper, which have text on them, is reminiscent of cubist works, which feature scraps of newspaper. Schwitters's collages of 1920 to 1922 frequently employ a 'radiating' format, with diagonally pasted papers fanning out from the bottom centre.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Kurt SchwittersGerman (1887 - 1948)
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title:Mz 299
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date created:1921
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materials:Collage on paper
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measurements:18.00 x 14.50 cm (including mount: 20.00 x 16.00 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh: bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
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accession number:GMA 4081
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gallery:
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subject:
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glossary:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Schwitters
Born and based for most of his life in Hanover, Schwitters began composing collages and assemblages from junk and everyday ephemera in 1919. He called these works 'Merz', a term derived from the cut-up letterhead of a bank used in one of his collages. Schwitters later used 'Merz' to refer to all...