Kurt Schwitters at the Armitt 4

Purchased with the support of the National Art Collections Fund and the Friends of the Armitt Trust

This recently discovered sketch was once owned by Mrs Mackereth who had a haberdashery shop close to the Central Café in Ambleside. Her husband, George Mackereth was one of the people who helped Schwitters on his arrival in the Lakes. Typical of this prolific period in his artistic life, one could easily imagine it being sketched in return for a free meal.

The Anvil Stone—Sculpture from the Merzbarn—The Pierce Family

Whether the anvil stone is entirely natural or was finished by KS is not known, but it is typical of the natural items which held such interest for him. It was to have been part of the setting inside the Merzbarn. It was kept by the garden pool of the Pierce family for years, but was unusual enough to have been treasured by them and now loaned to the Armitt.

Merz Barn—Doorway sign from the Merzbarn—The Pierce Family

Now much faded and weather beaten, the sign to the left of the door into the Merzbarn has been preserved for posterity by the Pierce family as a simple reminder of what KS viewed as his greatest work.

Busk House— (unfinished) - Oil on board—Private Collection

Busk House on Blue Hill Road would have been passed often by KS and Wantee on their walks to Wansfell. Miss Edith Tyson lived at Busk House and became a great friend of KS. Miss Tyson first met KS when he was passing by, eating cherries and spitting out the pips. She called him over and invited him in for tea. She recalled: “You could tell he was a thinker. He was often untidy, but you could tell by his face that he was different, a very polite man.”

Landscape with tree