Der Blaue Reiter was a German expressionist collective founded in Munich in 1909.
'Der Blaue Reiter,' which translates to 'The Blue Rider' in English, originated from a collective of avant-garde artists residing in Munich who had established the Neue Kunstler Vereiningung, or New Artist Association (N.K.V.). Among them, Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian by birth, and the German artist Franz Marc were the most prominent. In 1911, Kandinsky and Marc distanced themselves from the rest of the N.K.V. and organised the inaugural exhibition of Der Blaue Reiter in Munich in December of that year. This association was more informal in nature, unlike the structured cohesion of a group like Brücke. Other artists closely linked to Der Blaue Reiter included Paul Klee, August Macke, Gabriele Münter, and Marianne von Werefkin.
