Angelus Novus
Paul Klee · 1920
Why it's great
A wide-eyed angel with wings seems to look back in surprise, drawn in a childlike style. Paul Klee made this in 1920, and philosopher Walter Benjamin later owned it and wrote about it as an angel of history. Benjamin saw the angel being blown backward into the future, looking at the pile of wreckage of the past. It's a famous image about time.
Where to see it
📍 Israel MuseumJerusalem, Israel
Open in Maps ↗ About this museum →Hang it on your wall
Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Paul Klee was born near Bern, Switzerland, to a musical family and was also a talented violinist. He taught at the Bauhaus, a famous art school in Germany, and later fled the Nazis to Switzerland. His playful, imaginative paintings use lines, colors and symbols as if they were music. He died in Switzerland in 1940.
