Schwitters, << SHVIHT uhrs, >> Kurt (1887-1948), was a German artist known for creating pictures out of glued paper and other objects. These works are called collages. In 1918, Schwitters became involved with the dada art movement. The dadaists believed that significant art could be created from accidental and shocking events. Much dada art was political and attacked Western social institutions. Schwitters, in contrast, created a personal and nonpolitical art form he called Merz. The Merz works were collages made from paper, paint, and everyday objects, such as stamps and bus tickets. Schwitters’s desire to blend art and life led him to turn his homes into works of art. He attached printed matter and rubbish, such as driftwood and wheel parts, to the walls, and called the houses Merzbauten (Merz structures).
Schwitters was born on June 20, 1887, in Hanover, where he operated an advertising agency and graphic design studio. He also wrote poetry. In 1937, the Nazi rulers of Germany declared his art “degenerate.” He fled to Norway and finally to England in 1940, where he died on Jan. 8, 1948.
