Merz barn (Kurt Schwitters) Elterwater, Cumbria
N 54° 26.258 W 003° 02.284
30U E 497530 N 6032215
In the last few months of Kurt Schwitters life he started work on his final Merzbau in a little barn on the Cylinders estate. The partial work has been removed and is on show at University of Newcastle Hatton Gallery. Barn open most weekends.
Waymark Code: WM9D9B
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/04/2010
Views: 7
Schwitters was a German national who escaped the Nazi regime, who saw his collage artwork as degenerate, to Norway. He fled Norway to Scotland before it was invaded, on the famous ice breaker Fridjof Nansen. Interned on the Isle of Man with fellow foreign intellectuals, he painted portraits and continued his merz creations.
Released in 1941, Kurt moved to London where his son with daughter in law were living, and found him a room. His son had Norwegian citizenship. Kurt remained German all his life. He met Edith Thomas and they became partners on the death of Kurt's wife. In 1945 they moved to Ambleside staying at 2 Gale Crescent. To make a living Kurt painted portraits and landscapes outside the Old Bridge House. The adjacent shop sold antiques and when his stool broke the antique dealer gave him another. Mrs Osman, who rented the Old Bridge House, would sell Kurt's paintings for 10/- (50p).
He broke his leg in 1946 and a friend moved him to 4 Millans Park, Ambleside, which was not up the steep hill of The Gale. It was whilst painting Harry Pierce's portrait that he got Edith to ask Harry about using the barn to create his Merzbau.
Schwitters died before completing his work. The wall with work on it was taken to the University of Newcastle Hatton Gallery in 1965, where it is now on public view.
In 1965 the end wall of this little barn was secured to a frame and carted away on a Pickfords Removals low loader to preserve this the only surviving piece of Merzbau. All the others have been destroyed accidentally. The first in his Hanover home was bombed in WW2. The second and third were burnt in Norway by kids playing.
Whilst working on grander projects, Schwitters would make smaller objet d'art from where ever his studio was at the time. He used many rooms around the Ambleside during his stay as his studio. None survive as artists studios except the Merzbarn, virtually untouched since Schwitters use.
Elterwater Merzbau
Kurt's life in UK
Littoral arts
Steetmap
OSGB NY327051