Bauhaus

Bauhaus was a German art school and design movement founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar. It sought to unite art, craft, and technology by promoting functional, affordable design and the integration of artistic disciplines with industrial production. The institution operated in three main phases: the Weimar period (1919–1925); the Dessau period (1925–1932), where the school expanded and built a purpose-built campus; and the Berlin period (1932–1933), after which it was closed under pressure from the Nazi regime.

Core ideas emphasized the elimination of unnecessary ornament, the use of simple geometric forms, and the reconciliation of craft with mass production. The curriculum stressed hands-on workshops, a collaborative, non-hierarchical pedagogy, and cross-disciplinary work among architects, designers, graphic artists, and theorists. The school innovated in architecture, graphic design, typography, interior design, furniture, textiles, and stage design, often using new materials such as steel, glass, and concrete to express functional form.

Notable figures associated with Bauhaus include Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Hannes Meyer, Gunta Stölzl, Alma Siedhoff-Bussenius, and László Moholy-Nagy. Their work reflected a preference for clarity, rationality, and accessibility.

Legacy and influence extend far beyond the 1919–1933 period. Through émigré teachers and students, Bauhaus ideas helped shape modernist architecture, graphic design, typography, and design education in the United States and worldwide, contributing to ongoing discussions about the relationship between art, industry, and everyday life.