Description
Equals Infinity is a painting by Paul Klee from 1932: inside a broad, warm ochre border lies a field of countless tiny dots in pink, pale blue, lilac and ochre, and in the middle stand an equals sign and a figure eight on its side, the sign for infinity, drawn like a curl. The original is an oil measuring 51.4 x 68.3 cm, held by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. We paint it for you by hand on canvas, in oil or acrylic, in four landscape sizes from 85 x 67 to 160 x 123 cm or made to measure. Once the last dot is in place, we send you a photograph of the painting before we pack it.
| Title: | Equals Infinity |
| Other titles: | Gleich Unendlich (German title) · Uguale infinito (Italian title) |
| Painter: | Paul Klee (1879–1940) |
| Year painted: | 1932 |
| Original size: | 51.4 cm x 68.3 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil |
| Painting style: | Modernism |
| Located at: | The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted in oil or acrylic on canvas, 4 sizes or made to measure |
Equals Infinity – Paul Klee
What does Equals Infinity show?
A broad band of warm orange ochre runs round the work. It is not smooth: the paint lies in rough, marbled strokes, like old plaster or sandstone, and the band frames the lighter rectangle in the centre.
The inner field is strewn with countless tiny dots in pale blue, green, lilac, violet and ochre on a pink ground, some in straight rows, others in arcs and clusters. From a distance they melt into a shimmering haze; up close each one stands alone, like a tile in a mosaic.
A few short dark strokes and hooks are scattered among them. In the middle stand two parallel lines, an equals sign, followed by a wavy violet mark like a figure eight lying down: the symbol of infinity. Along the lower edge Klee wrote the year and the title in small handwriting.
What does the equation among the dots mean?
The title appears twice on the painting: in words along the edge and as a sign in the centre. Read together, the two signs spell out the name of the work, so the painting draws its own title.
What is meant to equal infinity, Klee does not say. Left of the sign there are only dots, so each viewer completes the equation in their own way: all the dots on the canvas, the haze that seems endless, or simply a joke Klee leaves to us.
Klee’s art often hides its meaning, and here it stays open, which is exactly why the painting feels light and witty.
Why do people love this painting?
In 1932 Klee was teaching at the Düsseldorf Academy, and in those years he painted several works made of nothing but small dots of colour. The best known is Ad Parnassum from the same year, considered his masterpiece and the finest example of his pointillist style. Equals Infinity belongs to the same family, but it is smaller, lighter and full of humour.
Born near Bern to a German music teacher and a Swiss singer, Klee played the violin from childhood. Rilke felt his drawings were like music written down in lines, and here the dots do run in rows like notes.
For more on the painter, see the article on Paul Klee on English Wikipedia; it is in English and covers the artist, not this work.
Where is the original, and how large is it?
The original belongs to The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where it is catalogued under accession number 90.1950. It is a mid-sized oil measuring 51.4 x 68.3 cm (height x width).
Klee taught at the Bauhaus from January 1921 to April 1931, then at the Düsseldorf Academy until 1933, when he lost his post and the family moved to Switzerland. In 1937 the Nazis showed seventeen of his pictures in the “Degenerate art” exhibition and seized 102 of his works from public collections. He died in 1940.
From the Düsseldorf years also comes Boy in Fancy Dress of 1931: a boy in carnival costume, drawn in thin coloured lines on a grey ground made of rows of small dabs of colour.
Equals Infinity or another Klee?
Equals Infinity is a canvas painting for anyone who wants light and calm on the wall rather than a story to decode, and its ochre border sits well with wood or stone.
From the same year and the same city comes Mask of Fear, a big bean-shaped mask on four pairs of legs, funny and strange at once. If you prefer colour without dots, look at Redgreen and Violet-Yellow Rhythms from 1920, built of glowing rectangles, and for a mysterious head beneath the stars there is the Astrological Fantasy Portrait of 1924.
If Klee’s dotted style is what draws you, look for Ad Parnassum too on our Paul Klee page, where all the famous Paul Klee paintings we paint to order are gathered.
How do we hand-paint Equals Infinity on canvas?
Klee’s original is a mid-sized work in oil. Ours is an oil painting reproduction: the painter applies it to fresh canvas in oil or acrylic, in the size you choose, slowly and in several layers.
He starts with the pink ground and the rough ochre border, laid on thickly with visible brushstrokes. Then come the dots, set row by row with the tip of the brush in blue, lilac, green and ochre, following the arcs and clusters Klee laid out.
The dots ask for time and a steady hand. Last come the dark strokes, the equals sign and the violet curl, placed exactly in the centre so the joke survives.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: 85 x 67 cm for a bedroom or home office, 110 x 82 cm above a chest of drawers or a bed, and 125 x 97 or 160 x 123 cm above the sofa or on a large empty wall.
We paint Equals Infinity in 4 landscape sizes (width x height): 85 x 67, 110 x 82, 125 x 97 and 160 x 123 cm. The original measures 68.3 x 51.4 cm (width x height), so even the smallest size enlarges it a little and the largest more than doubles it. We do not offer smaller sizes: the countless dots need room, and on a small canvas they would blur and lose their shimmer.
As a painting for the living room it looks best at 125 x 97 or 160 x 123 cm above the sofa, where the pale tones open up the space.
Can I order another size or a frame?
Yes. For other proportions we adjust mainly the ochre border and keep the dotted field whole. Tell us the measurements you need, and we reply with a price and a date.
Equals Infinity travels to you rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed. Our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing and packs it safely. The 3D app on our site is for picking the moulding and nothing else; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
Since the ochre border already acts as a frame, a plain slim moulding in natural wood or dark grey is enough.
When will your painting arrive?
Once you confirm the order, the painter starts setting the dots, and the painting is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before packing we send you a photograph of the finished work and, if you wish, adjust something.
Parcels within Slovenia and to the rest of the EU travel without customs duties; every order is covered by our returns policy.
With its infinity sign, it makes a lovely present for a wedding, an anniversary or a friend who loves numbers. If you do not know their wall, give them a wall art voucher so they can choose the size themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original on display?
At The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where its accession number is 90.1950.
What is drawn in the middle of the painting?
An equals sign and a violet curl shaped like a sideways eight, the infinity symbol: together, the title.
Will I receive a print?
No. You receive a hand-painted copy, which the painter works with a brush on canvas in oil or acrylic.
How big is the original?
It measures 51.4 x 68.3 cm (height x width); our sizes run from 85 x 67 to 160 x 123 cm.
Why is there no size below 85 x 67 cm?
The tiny dots need room; on a smaller canvas they would run together.
How long will I wait for the painting?
It is ready to ship in 15 to 45 working days, and before that you get a photograph of it.
Would the dotted field suit a bedroom, or work as a gift?
Yes. The soft pink and blue tones are restful, and the infinity sign makes a witty present for a wedding or an anniversary.
What does the title mean?
Klee never explained it; the equals sign and infinity symbol write the title as a sign, and the reading is left to the viewer.
- Subject: a field of tiny pink, blue, lilac and ochre dots inside a broad ochre border, with an equals sign and the infinity symbol in the centre.
- Original: oil, 1932, 51.4 x 68.3 cm, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.
- Ours: a hand-painted Paul Klee reproduction in oil or acrylic on canvas, four landscape sizes from 85 x 67 to 160 x 123 cm, or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: Klee painted it in his Düsseldorf years, when he also made his famous dotted Ad Parnassum.
