Paul Klee, Ad marginem (On the Edge), 1930, revised 1935–36 Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on September 27, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000

On the Edge: an English title for Ad marginem

On the Edge is an English rendering of Paul Klee's Ad marginem. It is the same artwork, not a second painting. The Kunstmuseum Basel lists Ad marginem as work 1930,210 (E 10), revised in 1935–36, under inventory number G 1960.32. The inherited images on these two pages also depict the same composition: a dark red disc near the centre, with small signs and organic forms collected around its borders.[1][2]

The Latin ad marginem points “towards the margin.” “On the Edge” conveys part of that idea but can suggest a more dramatic or precarious state than the original wording requires. The picture's placement of marks along the sides and lower edge makes the title unusually literal. Readers looking for a full account of the work, its materials and its image details should continue to the principal Ad marginem article.[1][3]

The Basel record describes watercolour and pen on a lacquer ground on cardboard nailed to a stretcher, with traces of white ground and colour on the back and gauze on the stretcher. The artwork is therefore a constructed object, not simply “watercolour on canvas.” The museum's date also records Klee's later reworking, so a single 1930 date leaves out part of its history.[1][2]

The former text attached a specific Egyptian influence and a medical reading to this painting without evidence for this work. It also incorrectly described Klee as Jewish. Those claims have been removed from this title page. The documented identity, materials and revised date give a firmer starting point for looking at the painted margins.[1][3]

References

  1. Kunstmuseum Basel, acquisitions list, inventory G 1960.32 (German): Ad marginem, 1930,210 (E 10), revised 1935–36, View source.
  2. Wikimedia Commons, museum-sourced image and metadata for Ad marginem: inventory G 1960.32, material details and 300dpi public-domain-marked reproduction, View source.
  3. TheHistoryOfArt.org, principal Ad marginem article: researched local page with artwork analysis and annotations, View source.