The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 15, 2026

A vertically oriented black ink etching on tan paper depicts a stylized man in profile from the shoulders up, facing our left. Precise horizontal parallel lines cover the surface, defining both the figure and background. He has circular eyes with square pupils, a pointed nose, and an S-shaped ear. Two hands with elongated fingers are raised toward his chin, while broad angular lines delineate his torso and shoulders at the bottom.

The Calculating Old Man

1929

Paul Klee

(German, 1879–1940)
Germany, 20th century
etching
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1978.18
Catalogue raisonné: Kornfeld 104
Location: Not on view
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1978.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 66, no. 1 (January 1979): 3–47. Reproduced: p. 25; Mentioned: p. 44, no. 67 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Images of the Mind. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1987. Reproduced: [p. 32]
  • Graphic Humor. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 1-August 29, 1982).
    German Expressionist Graphics. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (May 7-October 5, 1980).
    Year in Review: 1978. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 13-March 18, 1979).
  • {{cite web|title=The Calculating Old Man|url=false|author=Paul Klee|year=1929|access-date=15 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1978.18