German painter and printmaker Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880&;1938) was one of the most important artistic personalities of the twentieth century, and a founding figure of expressionism. After his work was labeled &;degenerate&; by the Nazis, hundreds of his works were sold or destroyed. Kirchner committed suicide in 1938 in the face of this persecution. In 2018, a conference was held in Kirchner&;s home city of Davos to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of his death. Growing out of the conference, this lavishly illustrated volume brings together international experts on Kirchner who offer a multifaceted overview of an oeuvre that has lost none of its topicality to this day. Kirchner&;s work is discussed here against a background of art-historical, sociocultural, and historical contexts. The contributors also delve into his interest in and study of non-European cultures, literature, philosophy, art criticism, and the role of the artist to provide new and exciting points of contact for today&;s art-theoretical and art-critical observations.
