Fish Magic

Paul Klee

1925 · Oil and watercolour on canvas, mounted on panel · Philadelphia Museum of Art

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Fish Magic

Ancient Sound, Abstract on Black

Castle and Sun

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: Paul Klee (1879–1940)
Year: 1925
Medium: Oil and watercolour on canvas, mounted on panel
Original size: 77.3 × 98.5 cm
Collection: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Movement: Bauhaus

On a deep black-green ground, fish in pink, gold and blue swim among flowers, small moons and a clock set inside a glassy, tent-like frame, while at the edges stand small figures, one with pink hands, and a harlequin-like head. A fine line runs from the right edge to the top of the clock. Klee painted it in 1925, the year the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau, by laying dense, bright colour on the canvas, covering it with black and then drawing and scratching the creatures back out of the darkness. A square of muslin glued at the centre adds a collage-like layer. The picture blends water, sky and land into one dreamlike space and is often linked to German Romantic fantasy. It belonged to the collectors Louise and Walter Arensberg and came to the Philadelphia Museum of Art with their gift 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

Pink and gold fish, flowers and a clock floating on a deep black-green ground, for a bathroom, child's room or bedroom at 24×36 in black. A navy, dark green or white wall; it pairs with Kandinsky's Accent in Pink.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Bauhaus painting
Era: 20th century (1925)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: classic
Rooms: bedroom, bathroom, kids room, living room, dining room
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 Fish Magic in the public domain?

Yes. Paul Klee (1879–1940) 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 Fish Magic painted, and in what medium?

Fish Magic dates from 1925 and was made in oil and watercolour on canvas, mounted on panel; the original measures 77.3 × 98.5 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 Fish Magic we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Paul Klee's Fish Magic — fish, flowers and a clock tower floating in a dark, magical night sea — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Klee: Line, Colour and Play, 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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