Designers Bauhaus
Josef Albers was a German-born artist and educator. The first living artist to be given a solo shows at MoMA and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he taught at the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College, headed Yale University's department of design, and is considered one of the most influential teachers of the visual arts in the twentieth century.
As an artist, Albers worked in several disciplines, including photography, typography, murals and printmaking. He is best known for his work as an abstract painter and a theorist. His book Interaction of Color was published in 1963.
Peter Behrens was a seminal figure in modern design and architecture, heralded as the first industrial designer and a pioneer in modernist architecture. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Behrens's influence spanned across various domains, including architecture, industrial design, and graphic design. His holistic design approach was revolutionary, encompassing everything from architectural projects to corporate identities.
Behrens's association with AEG (Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft) marked a significant chapter in his career. Hired as an artistic consultant in 1907, he crafted a comprehensive corporate identity for AEG, including the iconic AEG Turbine Factory (1909), a hallmark of industrial classicism and modernism. This work is celebrated for its pioneering approach to industrial architecture and design, integrating form and function with unprecedented clarity and coherence.
His architectural ventures displayed a versatility and an evolution of style, from the monumental, stripped classical form seen in the German Embassy in St Petersburg (1912) and the Administration Building for Continental AG in Hannover (1912-1914), to the expressive Brick Expressionism of the Technical Administration Building of Hoechst AG in Frankfurt (1920-1924). Behrens's work in the 1920s, including the design for the 'New Ways' house in Northampton, UK, and contributions to the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart, underscored his shift towards New Objectivity and modernist principles.
Moreover, Behrens's educational contributions were profound, with his teaching stints at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna influencing a new generation of architects, including luminaries such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Walter Gropius, who would themselves go on to define the course of 20th-century architecture.
Behrens's legacy is a testament to the transformative power of design, illustrating how integrated and forward-thinking approaches can redefine our built environment and the objects we use daily. His work remains an essential study for collectors, experts in art and antiques, and anyone interested in the evolution of modern design and architecture.
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Max Bill, a Swiss artist, architect, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer, and graphic designer, emerged as a key figure in 20th-century art and design. Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, in 1908, Bill's education at the Bauhaus under luminaries like Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Oskar Schlemmer profoundly influenced his multidisciplinary approach. His work spans from graphic design, where he was instrumental in shaping Swiss design from the 1950s, to product design with iconic creations like the Ulmer Hocker, a versatile stool designed in 1954.
Bill's contributions to concrete art and his role in founding the Ulm School of Design alongside Inge Aicher-Scholl and Otl Aicher in 1953, mark him as a pioneer who blurred the lines between art, design, and architecture. His theoretical writings and teaching at the Ulm School further underscored his commitment to integrating art with science, shaping a generation of designers and artists.
Noteworthy among his architectural works are his own house and studio built in Zurich-Höngg in the early 1930s and a series of public sculptures that challenge perceptions and engage public spaces in innovative ways. His legacy also includes influential roles in politics, contributions to the field of education, and the establishment of foundations to preserve his work and ideals.
Bill's extensive oeuvre, which also includes timepieces designed for Junghans and a multitude of sculptures, demonstrates his belief in the unity of form and function and the possibility of art to embody the principles of the new physics of the 20th century. His works are not only held in high regard for their aesthetic and functional qualities but also for their ability to convey complex theoretical ideas in tangible forms.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Max Bill remains a figure of immense importance, whose works continue to inspire and influence contemporary design and art practices. Sign up for updates related to Max Bill to stay informed about new product sales and auction events showcasing his remarkable contributions to modern art and design.
Joseph Binder, full name Joseph Friedrich Gustav Binder, was a German avant-garde painter, designer and graphic artist.
In the early 1930s, Joseph Binder worked on major brand commissions for Knorr, Reemtsma, Tekrum, Elida, Minera, Dujardin, Stella and Mercedes-Benz and earned fame as a style-defining industrial designer. In all, by the early 1960s, Binder had created more than 2,000 stamps and posters.
In painting, Binder favored cubism: geometrically stylized form is of great importance to the painter. He was also influenced by the Bauhaus school of art and the Blue Rider group.
Marianne Brandt was a German painter, sculptor, photographer, metalsmith, and designer who studied at the Bauhaus art school in Weimar and later became head of the Bauhaus Metall-Werkstatt (Metal Workshop) in Dessau in 1928. Today, Brandt's designs for household objects such as lamps and ashtrays are considered timeless examples of modern industrial design. She also created photomontages.
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German-American architect, recognized as one of the founding masters of modern architecture and the pioneer behind the Bauhaus School. Born in Berlin, Gropius was immersed in an environment that nurtured his architectural interests from an early age, thanks to his well-connected family and architect great-uncle, Martin Gropius. His education took him from Munich to Berlin, where he honed his architectural vision, eventually joining the office of Peter Behrens, where he worked alongside future luminaries such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier.
Gropius's early career saw him co-found an architectural practice with Adolf Meyer, with whom he created the Fagus Factory, a landmark in modern industrial architecture that emphasized the form follows function principle and showcased modernist design through its glass curtain walls. This period was marked by his contributions to the Deutscher Werkbund, advocating for the fusion of art with industrial design, and his leadership at the Bauhaus School, where he fostered an interdisciplinary approach to art and design education.
His relocation to the United States led to significant projects, such as the Harvard Graduate Center and the Josephine M. Hagerty House, marking his influence on American architecture and the broader acceptance of International Modernism. Gropius's legacy is not only in his buildings but also in his philosophy of integrating art, design, and architecture, a vision that continues to inspire architects worldwide.
For those interested in exploring the works and impact of Walter Gropius further, visiting exhibitions at museums or galleries that feature his work and the Bauhaus movement can offer deeper insights. Collectors and experts in art and antiques might find his approach to design and architecture particularly enlightening, given its enduring influence on modern and contemporary art.
If you're captivated by the innovation and ideas of Walter Gropius and wish to stay informed about sales, auctions, or exhibitions related to his work, consider signing up for updates. This subscription will ensure you're always in the know about events and opportunities related to this pioneering figure in modern architecture.
Herbert Hirche was a German architect, interior and furniture designer and educator.
Hirche studied at the famous Bauhaus school in Dessau and Berlin, where Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Wassily Kandinsky taught. Trained as a carpenter, he first worked for Mies, Egon Eiermann and Hans Scharun before being appointed professor of applied art at the University of Applied Arts in Berlin-Weißensee in 1948. Four years later he became professor of interior and furniture design at the Stuttgart State Academy of Fine Arts. During his years of teaching, Hirche has educated generations of designers.
In addition to teaching, Hirche designed many homes and interiors. He designed furniture for Walter Knoll, Wilkhahn, Holzäpfel and Wilde+Spieth, as well as several projects for Braun, including the HM5-7 music cabinet and the HF1 television set. Hirche's simple and elegant models were exhibited at various Milan Triennales and the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels. His work had a great influence on the development of product and interior design in Germany and the world.
Hirche was one of the founders of the Deutscher Werkbund (German Association of Craftsmen) in Berlin, was president of the Verband Deutscher Industrie-Designer (Society of Industrial Designers) for ten years, and was a member of the Rat für Formgebung (German Design Council).
Peter Keler is a German designer, graphic artist and architect.
Keler began his training at the Kiel School of Applied Arts and then studied at the Bauhaus in Weimar under Oskar Schlemmer and Wassily Kandinsky. He also designed the study of Walter Gropius, then director of the Bauhaus. In 1923, at the first Bauhaus exhibition, Keler presented a baby cradle of his own design, which later became a symbol of the Bauhaus: its design is based on Wassily Kandinsky's synesthetic theory of color and form and consists of a circle, triangle and square. In the same year, the artist became a member of the active Bauhaus group KURI; the movement as a whole was characterized by functionality and conformity to mass production. Then in Weimar he founded his own studio for painting, advertising posters and design.
In 1937 the Nazi Party in Germany banned Keler from exhibiting, but he worked as a freelance architect in Berlin and as a designer for the film company Tobis. At the end of the war, Keler accepted an invitation to the newly founded Weimar School of Architecture and Visual Arts, modeled after the Bauhaus, where he taught drawing, design, and architecture for many years.
Keler's work is still popular and sought after today due to its attractive simplicity. Interior objects designed by Keler, such as chairs and cradles, have been so successful that they are still sold by the German company Tecta.
Kurt Kranz was a German artist of the Bauhaus school, graphic artist and university professor.
Kranz studied as a lithographer, then at the Bauhaus Dessau, taking courses with Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. In 1950 he accepted a position at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts and remained there until 1972. He visited America and Japan as a guest lecturer, including Harvard University in Cambridge, USA.
Kurt Kranz remained faithful to the ideas of the Bauhaus throughout his life, was able to experiment freely and boldly with photography and photomontage, used a variety of photographic techniques and created some of the most striking series of abstract images to emerge from the Bauhaus.
Georg Muche was a German painter, graphic artist, designer and architect.
He began his studies in Munich at the School of Painting and Drawing, continuing in Berlin in 1915. Already influenced by Wassily Kandinsky and Max Ernst, he became one of the first proponents of abstract art in Germany. In Berlin, Georg Muche began collaborating with the expressionist painter Gerwart Walden (1879-1941) and his artist group Sturm.
In 1919 Walter Gropius appointed Muche to the Bauhaus in Weimar, where he became its youngest master. He also ran a weaving workshop in Dessau. In 1926, the Metal Prototype House on the Dessau-Törten estate was built to a design developed in collaboration with the architecture student Richard Paulik. From 1939 to 1958 Georg Muche worked in Krefeld, teaching a master class in textile design at the engineering school.
Heinrich Neuy is a German artist, furniture designer and architect. His design orientation was shaped by classical modernism. After training as a carpenter, he studied at the Bauhaus in Dessau under Josef Albers, Wassily Kandinsky and the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Later, Heinrich Neu developed his own style, characterised by bold colour and abstract composition and dynamic form.
Alexander Schawinsky, also known as Xanti Schawinsky, was a remarkable Swiss painter, photographer, and theatre designer, best known for his association with the influential Bauhaus movement. Born in Basel in 1904 to parents of Polish-Jewish descent, Schawinsky's artistic journey began at the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1924, where he honed his skills under the tutelage of esteemed artists like Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. With the closure of the Weimar Bauhaus, he moved to Bauhaus Dessau, focusing on experimental photography and stage design. Schawinsky's creativity extended beyond visual arts; he was an accomplished saxophonist and a contributor to the avant-garde theater.
As a close friend of Herbert Bayer and Marcel Breuer, Schawinsky's influence extended to different artistic spheres. Unfortunately, the rise of Hitler's regime forced him to leave Germany and seek refuge in Italy, where he continued his artistic pursuits, contributing to the design of the Olivetti Studio 42 typewriter. Xanti Schawinsky's talent and versatility remain an enduring testament to the legacy of the Bauhaus movement.
Oskar Schlemmer was a German artist, painter, sculptor, choreographer and designer, and was associated with the Bauhaus movement.
Schlemmer studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Stuttgart before becoming a student at the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1920. He taught at the Bauhaus from 1923 to 1929, and was the director of the theater workshop from 1924 to 1929. During this time, he developed a unique style that combined elements of sculpture, painting, and dance.
Schlemmer's work often explored the relationship between the human body and space, and he created a number of abstract figures and costumes for dance performances. He also created a series of sculptures and paintings that explored the idea of the "human condition" and the role of technology in society.
Schlemmer's work was considered controversial by the Nazis, who saw it as "degenerate art." He was forced to leave the Bauhaus in 1929, and his work was removed from public collections in Germany. Despite this, his work continued to be exhibited in Europe and the United States, and he is now considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
Wilhelm Wagenfeld was a German industrial designer and former student of the Bauhaus art school. He designed glass and metal works for the Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Gen., the Vereinigte Lausitzer Glaswerke in Weißwasser, Rosenthal, Braun GmbH and WMF. Some of his designs are still produced to this day.
