The friendship between Franz Marc (1880-1916) and August Macke (1887-1914) was of vital importance to both painters and was definitive of their era. Their close bond lasted four years and came to an abrupt end with the death of Macke shortly after the out­break of World War I. The catalogue brings together the paintings, watercolors, drawings, handcrafts, ob­jects, and documents of these two artists, demon­strating to what extent they influenced one another in their work. Whereas Macke, seven years younger than Marc, took a sensual and spontaneous approach to the visual world, his friend had an elevated, theo­retical vision, seeking the spiritual unity of existence through the image. Despite conceptual and cultural-political differences, a deep mutual affection charac­terized their joint undertakings, such as the exhibi­tions of the Blauer Reiter or their conversations on Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, and the work of their contemporaries.