In Paul Klee’s work cheerfulness and tragedy, lightness and the plunge into the abyss often tip into one another. The exhibition sheds light on the exchange between Paul Klee and his friend Jacques Ernst Sonderegger, a Swiss artist et cartoonist. In the early phase of his work Klee received important artistic stimuli from Sonderegger.

Their correspondence reveals a shared understanding of humour as a key to human beings, of satire as a commentary on the comedy and tragedy of human existence. The exhibition shows selected works by Klee and Sonderegger in dialogue and offers a context for the first publication of their correspondence. In parallel, the exhibition shows unforgettable scenes from the films of Charlie Chaplin in surprising juxtapositions with Klee’s works.