Composition Kolvil
- Artist: Carl Buchheister
- Date: 1960
- Medium: Oil paint and resin on cardboard
- Dimensions: support: 565 x 770 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Composition Kolvil” by Carl Buchheister. Created in 1960, the work uses oil paint and resin layered on cardboard, giving it a textured, almost three‑dimensional surface. Buchheister’s style shifted dramatically after the war. Before National Socialism he produced linear abstract pieces, but after a long hiatus he returned to art with a much freer, gestural approach. In this painting you can see that shift: bold, sweeping strokes and a rough, almost calligraphic energy that suggests movement and spontaneity. The piece sits at about 565 × 770 mm, and its mix of paint, resin, and cardboard reflects his experimentation with texture and material. It was presented to the collection by Willi Kemp in 1991, and today it continues to speak about the resilience of artistic expression after catastrophe.
See it in person
Composition Kolvil is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
