Ernst Ludwig Kirchner regarded the picture and its frame as a unit. Contrary to Kirchner’s intention that they belong together, over the years some paintings were separated from their original frames. In the present publication they are reunited in a remarkable exhibition, allowing us to rediscover a chapter of modernism which has often been overlooked.

Even as a member of the “Brücke”, Kirchner designed simple wooden frames for his paintings; later in Davos these were complemented by more elaborate frame profiles with steps and rounded, grooved and Baroque elements. This volume is dedicated to the frames and their history in detail and shows for the first time with prestigious international loans the development of the art of frames from the early to the late work of the famous Expressionist artist.