Paul Klee – The Goldfish

The Goldfish is a painting by Paul Klee from 1925: a large golden-yellow fish with red fins and a red eye glows in the middle of deep, almost black blue water, while smaller red and violet fish swim off towards the edges among tiny stars, waves and water plants drawn in light blue. The original, in oil and watercolour on paper mounted on cardboard, measures 49.6 x 69.2 cm and is today in the Hamburger Kunsthalle. Our painter brings it onto canvas by hand, in oil or acrylic, in 8 landscape sizes from 40 x 30 to 160 x 115 cm or made to measure. You see a photograph of your finished painting before it is dispatched.

The Goldfish – Paul Klee

What does The Goldfish show?

A single long fish swims to the right through the centre. Its golden-yellow body is edged along the back and belly by thin red fins that bristle outwards, and the tail is red too. Over the scales Klee drew small arcs and hooks in paler yellow, so the body looks patterned rather than smooth.

The eye is round and red, ringed with fine pale circles, and short yellow threads hang in front of the mouth. The fish casts no shadow; it seems to shine from within.

The water is deep blue, nearly black around the fish and lighter towards the edges, crossed by rows of wavy light blue lines. In the corners smaller red and violet fish all swim away from the big one. Water plants grow along the bottom and sides, and little stars and crosses dot the top.

What story does the one glowing fish tell?

Klee did not explain the scene, and the title only names the main character. You see a clear contrast: one bright fish at the centre and several smaller, darker fish at the margins, keeping out of its way. You can take it as the king of the water or as a loner the others avoid; the painting allows both.

The light comes not from above but from the fish itself, and its warm yellow and red stand out against the cool blue.

Why is The Goldfish so well known?

A short passage in the English-language Wikipedia article about the painter Paul Klee names the goldfish of 1925 among the examples from his Bauhaus years, alongside Cat and Bird from 1928 and Highways and Byways from 1929.

The same article notes that by varying the ground and combining techniques Klee created new colour effects. Here he joined oil and watercolour on paper, and the yellow fish rises out of the dark water almost like a lantern.

Klee, born in 1879 near Bern, belonged to the Blaue Reiter circle around Kandinsky and Franz Marc.

Where is the original today, and what is its history?

The original is now in the Hamburger Kunsthalle. Before that it belonged to the Nationalgalerie in Berlin; the Nazis seized it, and it is listed in the inventory of so-called degenerate art. Klee painted it while teaching at the Bauhaus (January 1921 to April 1931), alongside Wassily Kandinsky.

In 1937 seventeen of his works were shown in the Degenerate Art exhibition, and 102 were taken from public collections. When Klee died in 1940, he left more than 9,000 works behind.

The sheet measures 49.6 x 69.2 cm (height x width). Klee liked modest supports such as paper, gauze or cardboard; Rose Garden of 1920, a town of little houses and round roses in wine red and pink, is also on paper.

The Goldfish or another Klee?

The Goldfish is a canvas painting for rooms that need one strong point of light. As the fish crosses the middle horizontally, the wide format sits well above a sofa, a bed or a long sideboard.

For the delicate, linear side, look at Fruits on Red from 1930, where fine lines grow like stems with fruit on a salmon-red ground. A calm landscape of colour bands comes with The Lamb from 1920, and lovers of playful signs will enjoy Conquest of the Mountain, a late work from Bern dated 1939.

From the same year, 1925, comes another Klee picture of fish, Fish Magic. You will find it on our Paul Klee page, which gathers the famous Paul Klee paintings we paint to order.

How do we hand-paint The Goldfish on canvas?

Klee’s original is not a canvas but a sheet of paper on cardboard, roughly 50 x 69 cm, where oil and watercolour mix. Ours is an oil painting reproduction made on canvas in oil or acrylic, in the size you pick, so it hangs like any other painting.

The painter starts with the dark ground: layers of blue that deepen almost to black towards the centre and stay lighter near the edges. Only then does he build up the fish, from warm ochre to pale yellow, until it glows out of the dark.

Last, with a fine brush, he adds the red fins, the ringed eye, the arcs on the scales, the corner fish and the light blue waves, stars and plants, keeping each line light, as if drawn in one movement.

Which size suits which wall?

In short: 40 x 30 or 50 x 35 cm for a hallway, bathroom or shelf, 63 x 45 and 70 x 52 cm above a bedside table or desk, 90 x 66 cm above a chest of drawers, 114 x 82 and 130 x 90 cm above a sofa or double bed, and 160 x 115 cm for a large empty wall.

We paint The Goldfish in 8 landscape sizes (width x height): 40 x 30, 50 x 35, 63 x 45, 70 x 52, 90 x 66, 114 x 82, 130 x 90 and 160 x 115 cm. The original measures 69.2 x 49.6 cm (width x height), so the three smallest sizes are more compact, while from 90 x 66 cm upwards we enlarge the work; our largest size, 160 x 115 cm, is more than twice as wide as the sheet in Hamburg.

As a painting for the living room it works best at 114 x 82 or 130 x 90 cm, where the dark blue settles the wall and the golden fish becomes its bright centre. In a bedroom it feels calm, and in a child’s room the fish are a friendly subject.

Can I order a different size or a frame?

Yes. If you need other proportions, we keep the fish whole and central and only lengthen or shorten the dark water at the edges. Send us the size you have in mind for a price and a date.

It reaches you rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed. Stretching and framing happen in our workshop in Slovenia, where the painting is also made ready for the road. You pick the moulding in our 3D app, which is only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.

A slim black frame suits the deep blue, while a gold or bronze edge brings out the yellow fish.

When will The Goldfish arrive?

Once you confirm your order the painter starts work, and the painting is ready to ship in 15 to 45 working days. Before we pack it we send you a photograph of the finished work, and if you would like a change, we make it.

Within Slovenia and to the other EU countries we ship with no customs charges, and every order is covered by our returns policy.

A glowing fish in dark water makes a lovely present for a new home or a birthday. Unsure how big their wall is? A wall art voucher lets them decide.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the original hang?

In the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Germany.

What is in the picture?

A large golden-yellow fish with red fins in dark blue water, with smaller red and violet fish, waves and plants around it.

Will I get a print?

No. You receive a hand-painted copy, made with brushes on canvas by our painter in oil or acrylic.

How big is the original?

It measures 49.6 x 69.2 cm (height x width); our largest size is 160 x 115 cm.

Can you paint The Goldfish in a size not listed here?

Yes. Tell us the width and height you need and we will send an offer with a price and a date.

How long until the painting reaches me?

Making it takes 15 to 45 working days, and before dispatch you receive a photograph of it.

Is it suitable for a bedroom or a child’s room?

Yes. The dark blue water feels restful, and fish are a friendly subject for children too.

What does the golden fish in the dark mean?

Klee did not say; the painting shows one bright fish in dark water and leaves the reading to you.

• Subject: a golden-yellow fish with red fins and a red eye in almost black blue, surrounded by smaller fish, waves and plants.
• Original: oil and watercolour on paper on cardboard, 1925, 49.6 x 69.2 cm, Hamburger Kunsthalle.
• Ours: a Paul Klee reproduction painted by hand in oil or acrylic on canvas, 8 landscape sizes from 40 x 30 to 160 x 115 cm, or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: the work once belonged to the Nationalgalerie in Berlin and was seized by the Nazis; today it is in Hamburg.