1880
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is born in Aschaffenburg on 6 May, the son of Ernst Kirchner and his wife Maria Elise, née Franke
1890
Family moves to Chemnitz, attends primary school and then grammar school
1901
Begins studying architecture at the Technical University of Dresden, meets Fritz Bleyl
1903/04
Studies at the Technical University in Munich. Returns to Dresden and meets Erich Heckel
1905
Acquaintance with Karl Schmidt from Rottluff, completion of his studies and founding of the "Brücke" with the other young artist colleagues
1906
Max Pechstein joins the group, which makes its first public appearance that year at the Seifert lamp factory in Dresden
1907 - 1911
Summer sojourns first in Goppeln, then in 1908 on Fehmarn and the following year at the Moritzburg ponds. Kirchner visited the last two places repeatedly in the following years, accompanied by other "Brücke" artists
1910
Large "Brücke" exhibition at the Arnold Gallery in Dresden. Kirchner meets the Hamburg collector and lawyer Gustav Schiefler, one of his most important patrons
1911
Moves to Berlin. Kirchner meets his partner Erna Schilling and her sister Gerda. Founds the "MUIM (Modern Instruction in Painting) Institute" together with Max Pechstein.
1912
Together with Heckel, Kirchner paints a chapel for the Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne
1913
Kirchner writes the chronicle of the "Brücke", which leads to the break-up of the group. Solo exhibitions at the Folkwang Museum in Hagen and the Gurlitt Gallery, Berlin
1914
Exhibition at the Jenaer Kunstverein and beginning of friendship with the Jenens archaeologist Botho Graef. Outbreak of the 1st World War
1915
Kirchner is called up to Halle a. d. Saale. The oppressive military service leads to the artist's physical and mental breakdown. Back in Berlin, unsuccessful participation in a competition organised by the city of Hagen for a war sculpture
1916
Stay at the sanatorium in Königstein im Taunus, where Kirchner creates murals with Fehmarn motifs (destroyed). First exhibition at Ludwig Schames in Frankfurt/M.
1917
Move to Davos. Kirchner initially lives in a hut on the Staffelap. In winter, stays at the Bellevue sanatorium in Kreuzlingen
1918
Kirchner rents the house "In den Lärchen". He begins to furnish his house with works of art and everyday objects
1920
The Dutch painter Jan Wiegers becomes Kirchner's first pupil. Winter exhibition at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin
1921
The dancer Nina Hard visits Kirchner in Davos. Work begins on two monumental wooden reliefs for the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterloo, planned by Henry van de Velde. The project only comes to a halt in 1924
1923
Exhibition at the Basler Kunsthalle and move to a house on the Wildboden
1924
Start of collaboration with the art writer Will Grohmann
1925
A number of young Basel artists who had attracted Kirchner's attention joined together to form the "Red-Blue" group and visited the artist in Davos
1925/26
Trip to Germany, including Frankfurt/M., Dresden and Berlin
1927
Initial work on the planned painting of the ballroom in the new Folkwang Museum in Essen. The project is cancelled in 1934
1933
Major survey exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bern
1936
Kirchner carves a relief for the school building in Frauenkirch/Davos
1937
In Germany, Kirchner is defamed as "degenerate" and his works are confiscated from museums. Kirchner is widely represented in the "Degenerate Art" exhibition, first shown in Munich, including sculptures. First presentations of his works in the United States (Detroit and New York)
1938
In despair over the political situation in Germany, Kirchner takes his own life on 15 June
.jpg)