Price databaseBrowseWhat’s it worth?Sell your artworkAppraisals
Watchlist
Simplex besucht Complex by Paul Klee, 1940 - work number 1940.314 (H 14), Paste paint on paper on cardboard, sold Jun 2023Photo © Kornfeld — view this lot on Kornfeld ↗

Thumbnail shown for reference only. Kornfeld holds the rights to its photography — see the full images on the original lot page ↗

Auction result

Simplex besucht Complex

Paul Klee (Swiss, 1879–1940) · 1940 - work number 1940.314 (H 14)

CHF 230,000 hammer

≈ $258,152≈ £201,100≈ €235,411

Sign up free to see all prices

You’ve used this month’s free price views. A free account shows the hammer price, buyer’s premium and price realized for every lot — no card, no fees.

Sign up free Sign in
Medium
Other · Paintings all other results →
As published: “Paste paint on paper on cardboard”
Support
Board
Category
Works on paper (other)
Dimensions
37.2 x 41.7 cm, depiction with writing and end line; 42.3 x 56 cm, backing board
Auction house
Kornfeld
Sale
Auction 278: Live Auction - Part 1 (278)
Date
June 16, 2023
Location
Bern, Switzerland
Lot
94
Estimate
CHF 60,000 – — (≈ $67,344) (≈ £52,461) (≈ €61,412)
Source
Auction house kornfeld.ch ↗
Retrieved Sep 25, 2026
Provenance (3)
  • Lily Klee, Bern (from 1940)
  • Collection Hans and Erika Meyer-Benteli, Bern (until 1970)
  • Private collection Switzerland
Exhibitions (2)
  • Basel 1941, Kunsthalle, Gedächtnisausstellung Paul Klee, cat. no. 131
  • Bern 1990, Kunstmuseum, Paul Klee. Das Schaffen im Todesjahr, cat. no. 289, reprod.
Literature (4)
  • Catalogue raisonné: Catalogue raisonné, Paul Klee, vol. 9, Werke 1940, Bern 2003, no. 9333
  • Christina Kröll, Die Bildtitel Paul Klees. Eine Studie zur Beziehung von Bild und Sprache in der Kunst des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts, Dissertation, Bonn 1968, pag. 83.
  • Matthias Kühn, Gewagte Symbiosen. Bild und Bildtitel im Spätwerk Klees, published in exhibition catalogue: Bern, Kunstmuseum, Paul Klee, 1990, pag. 93-99.
  • Peg DeLamater, Klee and India: Krishna Themes in the Art of Paul Klee, Dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 1991, pag. 178-180

As published by Kornfeld.

View this lot on Kornfeld ↗

Own a work by Paul Klee? Get a free auction estimate →

Own this work? Add it to My Collection → Private to you, with alerts when comparable works sell.

Similar size by this artist

Works by Paul Klee with a longest side of about 41.7 cm (16.4 in) (±20 %).

All Paul Klee results of this size →

More results for Paul Klee

All results for Paul Klee →

Also in this sale

Auction 278: Live Auction - Part 1 · Kornfeld · Jun 16, 2023

All Kornfeld results →

Similar works

Other results by other artists in a similar price range.