Alexei Jawlensky (1864-1941)

The Norton Simon Museum presents Alexei Jawlensky (1864-1941), an exhibition featuring more than 100 paintings and works on paper by this renowned 20th-century artist. One of the Blue Four, a group of Expressionist artists represented by dealer Emmy (Galka) Scheyer, Jawlensky and his contemporaries redefined modern art with an innovative artistic philosophy that rejected the idea of an objective reality. Motivated by an inner response to their subject matter, and influenced by sources such as medieval art, folk art and non-Western art, these artists created subjective, highly emotional and spiritual images composed of distorted forms and non-naturalistic colors. The installation at the Norton Simon Museum includes works from the major phases of Jawlensky's career, including such series as "Variations on a Landscape Theme," "Mystical Heads," and "Meditations." In addition, the special friendship between Jawlensky and Scheyer is brought to light through a fascinating collection of archival materials and photographs.