Senecio
Paul Klee · 1922
Why it's great
A round face made of circles, squares and triangles with big eyes and a pink-orange cheek. Paul Klee painted this in 1922, and the name 'Senecio' comes from a plant that means 'old man.' It looks like a clown or a mask. It's one of his most famous pictures.
👀 Look closer!
This face is made of squares, circles and triangles. Can you name each shape you see?
Where to see it
📍 Kunstmuseum BaselBasel, Switzerland
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.
