Bauhaus – turbulent and unforgotten

When one thinks of the Bauhaus, many now tend to think of the construction market rather than the art epoch. This important period in art history is sometimes forgotten. Yet hardly any institution in modern history has had such a turbulent history as the Bauhaus.

1919, the founding year of the Bauhaus, by Walter Grobius, in Weimar. At that time something completely new, until then no one came up with the idea of combining art and craft. With the Bauhaus this was introduced and was from then on quite successful. 

Today, the then Bauhaus in Weimar is considered the most influential educational institution of architecture, art and design. The art of the Bauhaus period was shaped by romantic repercussions of pre-industrial modes of production and by expressionism, especially in the early days.

The Bauhaus existed at the same time as the Weimar Republic, and also ended with it (1919-1933). It is still known today as the home of the avant-garde of classical modernism in all fields of liberal and applied arts, as well as architecture.

Since it was an educational institution for artists, accordingly, even today famous artists emerged.

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Famous artists of the Bauhaus:

– Lyonel Feininger

– Johannes Itten

– Gerhard Marcus

– Paul Klee

– Wassily Kandinsky

Historical overview:

• 1919: Founded in Weimar by Walter Grobius.
• 1925: Move from Weimar to Dessau, due to pressure from the Thuringian government. The move to Dessau also marked the beginning of cooperation with industry.
• 04.12.1926: Inauguration of the new Bauhaus building designed by Grobius and the “Meisterhäuser” (residential buildings). Thus, for the first time, work and living were combined.
• 01.04.1928: Grobius resigns as director and appoints Hannes Meyer as his successor.
• 01.08.1930: Meyer is dismissed without notice and from then on Ludwig Mies van der Rohe becomes
• 1931: NSAP comes to power in Dessau
• 1932: Forced closure of the Bauhaus
• 1932: Relocation as a private institution to Berlin-Lankwitz
• 1933: Forced by NSDAP to self-dissolve private institution
• After 1945: Reconstruction of the Bauhaus in Dessau

To this day, the Bauhaus period occupies an important historical epoch in art and also in German modernism. To this day, this era shapes our art today and will probably continue to do so. Whether furniture or architecture. Today you can visit the former Bauhaus in Dessau as a museum and revive German art history a bit.