Music & Art: Music and the German Expressionists

This lecture explores the dynamic intersections between music and visual art through the lens of German Expressionism, with a particular focus on the ground-breaking group 'Der Blauer Reiter'.

Following a brief introduction to this movement and its key exponents, we will delve into how visionary artists such as Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Marianne von Werefkin translated musical forms into vivid symphonies of colour and line. Along the way, we will examine contemporaneous theories investigating the scientific and philosophical connections between the so-called ‘sister arts’, and discover how and why these artists set out to create painterly music.

This lecture will serve as an introduction to the topic, and no prior knowledge is necessary to join us!

This lecture is part of the public programming for our new exhibition, A Grand Chorus: The Power of Music.

Lecturer: Ailsa McTernan

This lecture will last an hour. Tickets are available to watch the lecture either ONLINE or IN-PERSON at the Foundling Museum; in-person tickets include Museum entry. The online recording will be available to watch for 1 month.

Other lectures in this series:

• 05/12/25 Sounding Presence: John Blanke and the Power of Music, with Michael Ohajuru
• 16/01/26 The Symbolism of Music in Dutch Genre Painting, with Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff
• 27/02/25 Klimt and Beethoven: Artistic Rebellion in Fin de Siècle Vienna

Host or Publisher The Foundling Museum