Best Places To See Wassily Kandinsky's Paintings

Wassily Kandinsky is one of the most influential and well-known Russian artists of the early 20th century. He was known for producing some of the earliest pieces of abstract art, and over his lifetime he painted in a wide range of styles, from impressionism to abstract. One of the main figures in The Blue Rider movement, Kandinsky challenged many traditional preconceptions about art and pushed the boundaries of visual representation.

Lenbachhaus Gallery

Museum, School

The Lenbachhaus Gallery in Munich holds the largest collection of Kandinsky’s paintings in Europe, and the largest collection of paintings from the Blue Rider period in the world. In his youth, Kandinsky attended art school in Munich and it was in this city that he started his iconic Blue Rider movement, which broke down the conventions of painting and made him a pioneer of the abstract movement. The Lenbachhaus Gallery mostly displays art from this period in Kandinsky’s life, when he sought to express human desire, emotions, and the metaphysical in visual art.
Opening hours: 10am – 9pm (Tue), 10am – 6pm (Wed – Sun), closed Mon

State Trekyakov Gallery

Composition VII, 1913 | © Fæ/WikiCommons

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Museum, Park, Shop, Church, Building, Theater, Art Gallery

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art has several of Kandinsky’s paintings, though currently only one is on exhibition. Painted in 1912, Improvisation 27 (Garden of Love II) is a classic example of Kandinsky’s work from his Blue Rider period. In its vibrant and seemingly meaningless use of shape and color, Kandinsky and his peers at the time, including Franz Marc, aimed to break down conventions and to appeal to human spirituality rather than the physical world. This experimental style eventually led to abstract art.
Opening hours: 10am – 5:30pm (Sun – Thur), 10am – 9pm (Fri – Sat), check website for closed dates

The Guggenheim

Art Gallery, Building, Museum, School

With a collection of close to 100 paintings and 60 sketches and lithographs, the Guggenheim has the honor of owning the world’s largest collection of Kandinsky artwork. The artwork spans Kandinsky’s lifetime, from Kandinsky’s art school days in Munich to his Blue Rider period, his return to Moscow before the Russian Revolution and World War I, and up to the last pieces of art he produced in France before his death in 1944. Displayed in chronological order, the viewer can trace the evolution of Kandinsky’s style and simultaneously witness his work in changing the conventions of visual art.
Opening hours: 10am – 5:45pm (Sun – Wed, Fri), 10am – 7:45pm (Sat), closed Thur

Museum of Modern Art, New York City

The Museum of Modern Art would not be complete without a collection of paintings by Kandinsky, one of the pioneers of abstract art. Displayed in the gallery Painting and Sculpture I is White – Soft and Hard (1932), a striking piece of white and black seemingly meaningless shapes. The stark contrast between the colors and the and neat lines are more of Kandinsky’s cutting-edge work in developing abstract art. Kandinsky painted this just before he left Germany for France before the start of World War II.
Opening hours: 10:30am – 5:30pm (regular hours), check website for details
Address: 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY, +1 212 708 9400

About the author

Elizabeth Lee

Elizabeth Lee was born in California and grew up in Hong Kong, the city where she has lived her whole life (so far!). She is currently studying at the University of Hong Kong, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English Studies and Linguistics. Rather than look for a place to call home, Elizabeth is a wanderer who wants to experience life on this earth to the fullest. Driven by her curiosity for the world and in particular other cultures, Elizabeth has travelled to various places in Asia, Britain, Australia and North America. Elizabeth is an aspiring writer who is inspired by literature, history, and foreign cultures, and her work features themes of freedom and feminism. She hopes to publish her fictional writing someday.