232

Kurt Schwitters

German, 1887 - 1948

N.A.V., 1947

collage, found paper on paperboard
inscribed verso: "nav" 10x8 1947
9 7/8 x 8 in. (25.1 x 20.3 cm.), frame: 15 7/8 x 13 7/8 x 1 in. (40.3 x 35.2 x 2.5 cm.)

  • Provenance: The G. David Thompson Collection
    The John P. Coolidge Collection (former director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, 1948 - 1971)
    The Coolidge Cost Collection (by descent)
  • Exhibited:
    Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) was a German avant-garde artist, poet, and designer known for his pioneering work in the field of collage, turning the detritus of everyday life—tram tickets, newspaper scraps, bus timetables, wire, wood—into rigorous, lyrical art. Trained in painting, he broke from tradition around 1918 and coined "Merz," his personal brand of art-making that fused collage, assemblage, poetry, typography, design, and performance. Schwitters' embrace of humble materials and cross-disciplinary play made him a keystone for assemblage, Fluxus, Pop, and later installation art—proof that modernism could be both exacting and made from the stuff underfoot. Today, Schwitters's works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others.

    "The language of Merz now finds common acceptance and today there is scarcely an artist working with materials other than paint who does not refer to Schwitters in some way. In his bold and wide-ranging experiments he can be seen as the grandfather of Pop Art, Happenings, Concept Art, Fluxus, multimedia art and post-modernism." (Gwendolyn Webster, 1998 for Artchive)
  • Condition: In very good condition overall with no apparent issues to note. Acid-free mat. Title is included in the lower left quadrant comprised of found documents.

    A condition report for this lot is available upon request and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.

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November 8, 2025 1:00 PM MST
Santa Fe, NM, US

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