BAUHAUS

Walter Gropius, Bauhaus, Dessau, 1925-1926

Bauhaus (house of construction) was the most important Art and Design school in the 20th century. Founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 was closed by the Nazis in 1933.

The school existed in three German cities (Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932 and Berlin from 1932 to 1933), under three different architect-directors: Gropius from 1919 to 1927, Hannes Meyer from 1927 to 1930 and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe from 1930 to 1933.

Underlying the Bauhaus aesthetic was a fervent utopianism, based upon ideals of simplified forms and unadorned functionalism, and a belief that the machine economy could deliver elegantly designed items for the masses, using techniques and materials employed especially in industrial fabrication and manufacture — steel, concrete, chrome, glass, etc. All students took a preliminary course before moving on to specialist workshops, including carpentry, weaving, pottery, stagecraft, graphic arts, and graphic design.

Many influential teachers were among others Vassily Kandinsky, Johannes Itten, Herbert Bayer, Marcel Breuer, Oskar Schlemmer and Paul Klee.

Even though their styles were often quite varied, the artists of the Bauhaus had such a strong effect on art and art education that this school is often considered an art movement in itself.

Bauhaus model of education forms the basis of modern art education, foundation courses and national diplomas.

Mies van der Rohe designed modern furniture pieces using new industrial technologies that have become popular classics, such as the Barcelona bed. His furniture is known for fine craftsmanship, a mix of traditional luxurious fabrics like leather combined with modern chrome frames, and a distinct separation of the supporting structure and the supported surfaces, often employing cantilevers to enhance the feeling of lightness created by delicate structural frames.

Marianne Brandt (1893 – 1983) was an important figure in the Design history. Many of her designs including lamps, ashtrays and other household objects remain in production today.

The African Chair (1921) was an early design in Marcel Breuer's career, the chair was a collaboration with weaver Gunta Stölzl (German, 1897 – 1983), a fellow faculty member at Bauhaus. It is made from painted wood and a colourful textile weave.

Main artists of the Bauhaus:

Walter Gropius (German-American, 1883-1969)

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (German-American, 1886-1969)

Marcel Breuer (Hungarian, 1902–1981)

Wassily Kandinsky (Russian-German, 1866-1944)

Lyonel Feininger (American, 1871-1956)

Paul Klee (Swiss-German, 1879-1940)

Oskar Schlemmer (German, 1888-1943)

László Moholy-Nagy (Hungarian-German, 1895-1946)

Josef Albers (German-American, 1899-1976) and his wife Anni Fleischman Albers (German-American, 1899-1994)

Gunta Stölzl, (German, 1897 – 1983)