Circles in a Circle

Wassily Kandinsky

1923 · Oil on canvas · Philadelphia Museum of Art

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944)
Year: 1923
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 98.7 × 95.6 cm
Collection: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Movement: Abstract art

A heavy black ring encloses a pale ground crossed by two broad diagonal bands, one turquoise and one sandy yellow, and inside it dozens of circles of every size overlap: crimson, pink, violet, olive, yellow and green, some turning transparent where they cross, all threaded by thin straight lines. Kandinsky painted it in 1923 at the Bauhaus in Weimar, and it is often described as the first of his pictures to make the circle its main subject. For him the circle was the form that could hold the most tensions at once, and it dominated his work for the rest of the decade. Here the outer ring acts almost like a frame or a lens, gathering the smaller forms into one field. The painting belonged to the collectors Louise and Walter Arensberg, who gave their collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1950.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Overlapping crimson, pink, green and yellow circles inside a black ring on a pale ground, for a living room, playroom or study at 24×36 in black. A white or pale turquoise wall; it pairs with On White II.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Abstract art painting
Era: 20th century (1923)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: classic
Rooms: living room, study or library, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Circles in a Circle in the public domain?

Yes. Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Philadelphia Museum of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Circles in a Circle painted, and in what medium?

Circles in a Circle dates from 1923 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 98.7 × 95.6 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Circles in a Circle we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Wassily Kandinsky's Circles in a Circle — coloured circles and crossing lines held inside a single black ring, cut by two diagonal bands — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Kandinsky: Colour and Abstraction, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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