Question 1

True or false: Kirchner founded the influential German expressionist group Die Brücke in 1905.

Accepted Answer

True. He co-founded Die Brücke in Dresden, a key movement that shaped early Expressionism with bold, distorted forms.

Question 2

True or false: Kirchner died by suicide in Switzerland in 1938, fearing a Nazi invasion.

Accepted Answer

True. Depressed and anxious about the Nazi threat, he shot himself in Davos, where he had lived in exile.

Question 3

True or false: Nazi authorities labeled Kirchner a 'degenerate artist' and confiscated over 600 of his works.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1937, the Nazis seized 639 pieces from museums, calling them 'degenerate,' which devastated him.

Question 4

True or false: Kirchner often used his friends and fellow artists as models in his Berlin street scenes.

Accepted Answer

True. He painted prostitutes and bohemian acquaintances, including models from his circle, to capture urban angst.

Question 5

True or false: Kirchner was drafted but never served in World War I due to a mental breakdown.

Accepted Answer

True. He volunteered but was discharged after a severe breakdown, leading to decades of addiction and hospitalization.

Question 6

True or false: Kirchner invented the color wheel used by modern art schools like the Bauhaus.

Accepted Answer

False. The color wheel predates Kirchner; it was developed by Newton and later refined by Itten at the Bauhaus.

Question 7

True or false: Kirchner's painting 'Street, Dresden' was banned for showing explicit nudity in public.

Accepted Answer

False. The painting features clothed figures in a city scene; nudity was common in his studio works, not this one.

Question 8

True or false: Kirchner's late works were painted entirely with his left hand after losing his right arm.

Accepted Answer

False. He never lost an arm; he used both hands throughout his career, though his motor skills declined from drug use.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Trivia Questions