Original bauhaus - Berlinische Galerie
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
original bauhaus
the centenary exhibition The Bauhaus existed for only 14 years in Germany, but for 100 years
6 sep 2019 – 27 jan 2020 its ideas have flourished and its products have been relaunched,
at the berlinische galerie imitated and further developed. Marking the centenary of the
press conference 4 Sep, 11 am Bauhaus, the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung presents
opening 5 Sep, 7 pm the exhibition original bauhaus at the Berlinische Galerie featuring
more than 1,000 famous, familiar and forgotten Bauhaus originals
and recounting the history behind the objects. original bauhaus
showcases works of art and design from the holdings of the
Bauhaus-Archiv, exceptional loans from international collections
and artistic positions which take a new look at the Bauhaus legacy.
On the basis of 14 key objects, the exhibition presents 14 case
histories: How did the woman sitting on the tubular steel chair become
the most famous anonymous figure of the Bauhaus? Does the
Haus Am Horn in Weimar have a secret twin? Why have Marianne
Brandt’s tea infusers which were created as prototypes for industrial
production always remained one-of-a-kind pieces? original bauhaus
sheds light on how unique works and series, remakes and originals
are inseparably linked in the history of the Bauhaus. The fact is
that Bauhaus artists did not see art and technology as opposed to
one another. Instead, they used technical innovations to create
exceptional works of art, and they took serial production into account
from the moment they began drafting their designs. Today we
look back at almost 100 years of responses to the Bauhaus, compared
to only 14 years of Bauhaus production. Reproductions, re-editions
and remakes have made the Bauhaus the 20th century’s most
influential school of architecture, design and art.
Interactive stations allow visitors to experience the tactile qualities
of Bauhaus objects. In cooperation with the Bauhaus Agents
p
rogramme, the exhibition invites visitors to try exercises from the
famous Bauhaus preliminary course. International experts from
the fields of dance, paper art, photography, architecture and
Breathology will be offering preliminary course workshops
e very Sunday.
Curator: Dr. Nina Wiedemeyer, Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung
press information
september 2019 1
1,000 Bauhaus originals
In an exhibition venue spanning 1,200 square metres, original bauhaus
presents over 1,000 Bauhaus originals owned by the Bauhaus-Archiv
together with special loans from international collections. These include
seven tea infusers by Marianne Brandt shown together for the first
time, Oskar Schlemmer’s sketches for the »Triadic Ballet«, photograms
by László Moholy-Nagy and Lucia Moholy, the carpet »Thost« by
Gertrud Arndt, Marcel Breuer’s tubular steel chairs, as well as numerous
smaller objects such as 250 fabric patterns created in the Bauhaus
textile workshop, Walter Gropius’s glass slides and index cards, and
historical Bauhaus photo postcards. These are supplemented by
photo montages by Hanna Höch and her address book from the
collection at the Berlinische Galerie, photograms by Man Ray and
El Lissitzky and a copy of Oskar Schlemmer’s »Bauhaus Stairway«,
which his brother Casca Schlemmer painted in the 1950s.
12 new artworks
Twelve new artworks were created especially for original bauhaus.
A video installation by Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, for example,
compares the Haus Am Horn with its dissimilar twin, the Landhaus Ilse.
Juliane Laitzsch graphically reconstructs a long-lost Bauhaus
carpet. Veronika Kellndorfer transfers Mies van der Rohe‘s Barcelona
Pavilion into glass. The artists’ collective Syntop modifies the preliminary
course exercises for the digital age. Also on display are new artworks
by Thomas Demand, Ursula Mayer, Thomas Ruff, Heidi Specker
and Tobias Zielony, among others.
Woman wearing a theatrical mask by Oskar Schlemmer and seated on Marcel Breuer’s tubular-steel chair,
c. 1926. Photo: Erich Consemüller, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / © Dr. Stephan Consemüller
2
14 case histories
Based on 14 key objects from the Bauhaus era, original bauhaus explores
the relationship between production and reproduction, original and
copy, one-of-a-kind and series throughout 100 years of Bauhaus history.
The exhibition presents 14 case histories, including:
Production – Reproduction
In 1922 László Moholy-Nagy published a short text entitled »Production –
Reproduction«, in which he considered how reproduction techniques could
be artistically put to use. Together with Lucia Moholy, he experimented
with camera-less photography, projecting images directly onto photo
paper. Moholy was not interested in the original as such, but rather the
reproduction of his original in what he called photograms, created through
repro-photography or reversed exposure. A number of other artists, such
as Man Ray, Bertha Günther and Christian Schad were also experimenting László Moholy-Nagy, poster design for Goerz,
photogram in positive r eversed exposure, 1925,
with camera-less photography around the same time. Indeed, the process Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
is as old as photography itself and is still used by artists today.
Unity in Diversity
For the first time ever, seven tea infusers by Marianne Brandt are
displayed together at original bauhaus. Although the teapots are considered
Bauhaus classics today, they were not »master pieces«. At the Bauhaus,
students often created works in their courses which consisted of a dual
focus on artistry and artisanal training. Marianne Brandt, one of the
first women enrolled in the metal workshop, manually wrought the metal
to form. Originally produced as industrial prototypes, the tea infusers
were to forever remain one-of-a-kinds.
Marianne Brandt, tea infuser (MT 49), 1924, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Photo: Gunter Lepkowski © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn 2019
3
Dissimilar Twins
In the small town of Burbach in the Siegerland region there lies the twin
sister of the model Haus Am Horn in Weimar, built in 1923 to showcase
innovative Bauhaus architecture. The Landhaus Ilse, however, has little
resemblance to her twin in Weimar. Although they share similar floorplans,
the essential elements differ considerably. Was the architect of the
Landhaus Ilse familiar with the Weimar model house? And if so, why
then did he build a hybrid that combined the radical approaches of
New Building with conventional, middle-class elements?
Haus Am Horn, Weimar, architect: Georg Muche,
photo: Atelier Hüttich-Oemler, 1923, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
Yours Modernly
The Bauhaus was extremely adept at utilising modern media to its
advantage. With a series of photo postcards of the new school
building in Dessau, the Bauhaus crafted a media-effective image of
itself. The photos taken by Lucia Moholy were among some of the
most popular views of the Bauhaus in Dessau. Modern architecture was
a common postcard motif at the time, and photos of the ADGB Trade
Union School in Bernau designed by Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer
were also made into postcards. Unlike conventional holiday greetings,
the postcards of new architecture did not serve to celebrate past
achievements, but rather mark the advent of a modern future.
Bauhaus building Dessau, campus postcard sent by a Bauhaus student to his mother, 1927, photo: Lucia Moholy, 1925 – 1926,
Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn 2019
4
Becoming Famous
The sitting figure wearing a mask is possibly the most famous
unknown woman of the Bauhaus. The photo by Erich Consemüller
appears in countless publications and has even featured on a
record cover. It exemplifies the symbiosis of the most important
workshops and techniques at the Bauhaus: furniture, textile, metal,
theatre and photography. In this cleverly staged photo featuring
a fashionably dressed woman in a skirt and mask, the Bauhaus
presented itself as young, clever and chic. As for the identity of the
w oman, original bauhaus suggests several possible candidates.
A photo installation invites visitors to take pictures of themselves as
the woman with the mask.
Woman wearing a theatre mask by Oskar Schlemmer and seated on Marcel Breuer’s
Elisabeth B eyer-Volger, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / © Dr. Stephan Consemüller
tubular-steel chair, c. 1926. Photo: Erich Consemüller, dress material:
Simple
The so-called »bachelor’s wardrobe« on castors by Josef Pohl is a
prototype of a multifunctional, space-saving closet for the single man.
It captures the spirit of the times as much now as it did back then.
The free-standing wardrobe made of lightweight veneered wood
symbolises flexibility, mobility, a modest lifestyle and the aesthetics of
simplicity. Designed as a sheer cuboid, its cleverly arranged shelving
offers ample space for a man’s entire wardrobe – jackets, shirts, trousers,
shoes and neckties. At original bauhaus, the Danish designer Sigurd
Larsen responds to the historical closet with a contemporary piece
of furniture art.
Bachelor’s wardrobe on castors, design: Josef Pohl, 1930,
Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / Fotostudio Bartsch
5
Press conference Guided tours
4 Sep 2019, 11 am Public tours are offered every Saturday and Sunday. Tours for
Berlinische Galerie the handicapped are offered in cooperation with the Museumsdienst
Berlin. More information: museumsdienst.berlin.
Speakers:
For information about our curator-guided tours and other services, visit
Thomas Köhler, Director of the Berlinische Galerie
berlinischegalerie.de/en/education/guided-tours
Annemarie Jaeggi, Director of the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
für Gestaltung A free audio guide is available to visitors of the exhibition.
Nina Wiedemeyer, curator of the exhibition, Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
Education
für Gestaltung
In addition to the preliminary course workshop series »Vorkurs üben«
Friederike Holländer, Bauhaus Agent, Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
every Sunday, school classes can participate in free workshops and
für Gestaltung
tours offered in cooperation with Jugend im Museum e.V.
Christine van Haaren, Head of Education, Berlinische Galerie
More information: berlinischegalerie.de/en/education
Followed by a guided tour of the exhibition by the curator.
Accompanying programme
If you would like to attend the press conference, please register The exhibition is accompanied by an international symposium,
via e-mail at presse@bauhaus.de by 3 Sep. artist talks and Bauhaus film nights.
More information: berlinischegalerie.de/en/calendar
Exhibition opening
5 Sep 2019, 7 pm Handicapped accessibility
Berlinische Galerie Our handicapped accessible education programme offers services
to the blind, visually-impaired, deaf and hearing-impaired, as well as
Speakers:
persons with learning difficulties. Offered in cooperation with
Thomas Köhler, Director of the Berlinische Galerie
Museumsdienst Berlin. More information: museumsdienst.berlin and
Annemarie Jaeggi, Director of the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
berlinischegalerie.de/service/barrierefreiheit
für Gestaltung
Klaus Lederer, Senator for Culture and Europe
Berlinische Galerie
Hortensia Völckers, Artistic Director of the German Federal
Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur
Cultural Foundation
Alte Jakobstraße 124 – 128
Nina Wiedemeyer, Curator of the exhibition, Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
10969 Berlin
für Gestaltung
Tel +49 (0) 30 789 02 600
Free entry, no registration
Wed – Mon 10 am – 6 pm
Tue closed
Press images
Available to download at bauhaus.de/en/presse/aktuell/
bauhaus.de
berlinischegalerie.de
Press Contact
#originalbauhaus
Takehiko Mizutani, Three-part sculpture from Albers’s preliminary course, 1927 / Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, photo: Fotostudio Bartsch
Therese Teutsch
Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung
Press office
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 254 002 47
t.teutsch@bauhaus.de
Marie Ketzscher
Smith – Agentur für Markenkommunikation
Tel. +49 (0) 30 609 809 710
presse@smithberlin.com
Tickets
Available online at berlinischegalerie.seetickets.com
Prices: € 12 / € 9 (reduced rate) / Groups € 9 per person
Catalogue
The exhibition is supplemented by a catalogue and the original
bauhaus workbook featuring a selection of the most important
preliminary course exercises in one publication for the first time.
Funded by
Cooperation and Media Partners
6
Berlin in English since 2002
the b�uh�us was
a school
education & activity programme for
original bauhaus
the centenary exhibition Like so many other design classics, the tea infuser by Marianne
6 Sep 2019 – 27 Jan 2020 Brandt is not a »master-piece«, as she was just a student when she
at the berlinische galerie created the now-famous teapot in class. The exhibition original
bauhaus not only celebrates the material legacy of the Bauhaus,
but also its role as a school. The famous preliminary course takes
centre-stage in two exhibition chapters, a workshop series and
a publication. Important impulses were provided in cooperation with
the Bauhaus Agents programme, funded by the Federal Cultural
Foundation, and secondary-school pupils from Berlin.
With interactive exhibition elements and a diverse accompanying
programme, original bauhaus offers visitors the opportunity to
sensually and practically experience the teachings, ideas and
products of the Bauhaus. The hands-on stations are designed to
allow visitors to explore the tactile qualities of the Bauhaus objects.
Every Sunday international experts will hold preliminary course
workshops based on the motto »Vorkurs üben«. The programme
includes curator-guided tours, tours with German sign language,
free workshops and tours for school groups. The exhibition is
accompanied by an international symposium, Bauhaus movie
nights and an a
rtist talk.
Marianne Brandt, Tea Infuser, 1924. © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn / Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, photo: Fred Kraus
press information
september 2019
1
Every Sunday, 11 am – 2 pm
»Doing the Preliminary Course« »Vorkurs üben«
Interactive media station Workshop series
In preparation for the exhibition, secondary-school This workshop series explores the exercises assigned
pupils involved in the Bauhaus Agents programme to students in the famous preliminary course at the
completed historical preliminary course exercises Bauhaus. The workshops are offered by international
in order to learn more about the instruction practices experts in the fields of dance, photography, paper art,
at the Bauhaus. What would the Bauhaus preliminary architecture and breathing techniques.
course look like today? The artists’ collective Syntop In German and English
selected several preliminary course exercises for an
interactive media station in the exhibition and modified € 15 / € 10 (includes admission)
them for the digital age. Two experts will be on hand Tickets can be booked exclusively online at
throughout the exhibition period to provide information www.berlinischegalerie.de
to visitors about this »contemporary preliminary
course«.
original bauhaus workbook
Guides The original bauhaus workbook is the first-ever
collection of the most important preliminary course
In addition to an audio guide, the interactive »original exercises. Edited by Friederike Holländer and
bauhaus guide«, developed in cooperation with the Nina Wiedemeyer for the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum
Bauhaus Agents programme, introduces visitors to für Gestaltung.
alternative approaches to themes featured in the Prestel Verlag, 224 pp., in German and English, € 29
exhibition.
T. Lux Feininger, Jump over the Bauhaus, 1927. © Estate of T. Lux Feininger / Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
2
Accompanying programme Guided Tours
11 October 2019, 6 pm Public tours in English are offered every Saturday
Movie night »Bauhaus & Film« and Sunday. Tours for the handicapped are offered
curated and introduced by Thomas Tode (in German) in cooperation with the Museumsdienst Berlin.
Included in the price of admission, no registration Curator-guided tours are regularly offered
required. on Mondays.
Limited number of participants.
29 – 30 November 2019
»Taking a stand«
The Bauhaus and »Neues Bauen« under National School classes
Socialism, in emigration or exile, and in a divided
Germany Free workshops are available to school groups
An international symposium with contributions from in cooperation with Jugend im Museum e.V.
participants of the Bauhaus Agents programme. More information and booking:
In German and English with simultaneous translation, berlinischegalerie.de/en/education.
free admission. Please register by 27 Nov 2019 at
welcome@bauhaus.de. Free tours for school groups offered in cooperation
with Museumsdienst Berlin.
6 December 2019, 4 pm
Artist talk
with Veronika Kellndorfer (in German) Handicapped accessibility
Included in the price of admission, no registration
required. The handicapped-accessible education programme
offers services to the blind, visually-impaired,
10 January 2020, 7 pm deaf and hearing-impaired. Offered in cooperation
Movie night »Bauhaus-Tanzkörper« with Museumsdienst Berlin. More information:
curated and introduced by Thomas Tode (in German) museumsdienst.berlin.
Included in the price of admission,
no registration required.
Complete programme, services and events
berlinischegalerie.de/en/calendar/
Takehiko Mizutani, Three-part sculpture from Albers’s preliminary course, 1927 /
Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, photo: Fotostudio Bartsch
Funded by
Sponsors and media partners
Berlin in English since 2002
3
original bauhaus
the centenary exhibition
6 sep 2019 – 27 jan 2020
at the berlinische galerie
1. 2.
3. 4.
5.
6. 7. 8. 9.
10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
press images
september 2019
115.
16. 17. 18.
credit lines for press images
1. Balance study from László Moholy-Nagy’s Preliminary 10. Gertrud Arndt, Teppich Thost, 1927, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin,
Course, photo: Lucia Moholy, 1923, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin photo: Markus Hawlik © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn
© VG Bild-Kunst Bonn 2019
11. Plan of figurines for Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet, 1927,
2. Haus Am Horn, Weimar, architect: Georg Muche, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, photo: Markus Hawlik
photo: Atelier Hüttich-Oemler, 1923, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
12. Ursula Mayer, After Bauhaus Archive:
3. Woman wearing an Oskar Schlemmer mask sitting on Unknown Student in Marcel Breuer Chair, 2006, silkscreen on
Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair, around 1926. gold paper, 86 x 60 cm (triptych)
Photo: Erich Consemüller, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / Dom Museum Wien, Otto Mauer Contemporary.
© Dr. Stephan Consemüller Foto: Lena Deinhardstein © Ursula Mayer
4. Veronika Kellndorfer, Reconstructing Modernism, shortly after 13. Tubular steel chair, design by Marcel Breuer (1925),
dawn, 2019, 3-panel silkscreen print on glass, overall dimensions Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Fotostudio Bartsch
230 x 390 cm, for original bauhaus
Veronika Kellndorfer © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019 14. Tobias Zielony, School, 2013, 27 x 18 cm © Tobias Zielony
and KOW, Berlin
5. Marianne Brandt, Tea infuser (MT 49), 1924,
Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Photo: Gunter Lepkowski 15. Portrait of Josef Albers, collage of photo positives and
© VG Bild-Kunst Bonn 2019 negatives from »9 jahre bauhaus. eine chronik«,
farewell present of the B auhauslers to Walter Gropius, 1928,
6. Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet, all figurines, 1927, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
photo: Ernst Schneider, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
16. Sigurd Larsen, Junggesellenschrank by hand (detail), 2019,
7. Bachelor’s wardrobe on castors, design: Josef Pohl, 1930, reinforced concrete, rubber, plywood, brass and steel,
Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / Fotostudio Bartsch 151.5 x 61.3 x 73.3 cm, for original bauhaus © Sigurd Larsen
8. Carl (Casca) Schlemmer, Bauhaus Stairway, 1958, 17. Marianne Brandt, Kann der Mensch sein Schicksal …,
oil on hardboard, 162 x 103 cm, private property, Collage, um 1926, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Foto: Markus Hawlik
photo: Markus Hawlik © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn
9. Bauhaus building Dessau, campus postcard sent by 18. Thomas Ruff, r.phg.02, 2013, loan by the artist,
a Bauhaus student to his mother, 1927, photo: Lucia Moholy, Courtesy Sprüth Magers © VG Bild-Kunst 2019
1925 – 1926, Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn 2019
press images
september 2019
2original
bauhaus
Edited by Nina Wiedemeyer for the
Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung
PRESTEL
Munich · London · New Yorkoriginal bauhaus 5 / C ontents
/ F oreword 7 A nnemarie J aeggi and T homas Köhler
/ G reetings 9 K laus Lederer
/ G reetings 11 H ortensia Völckers and A lexander F arenholtz
/ I ntroduction 13 N ina W iedemeyer
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / ‘ W hy is the B auhaus so important?’ 19 C hristian D emand
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / C ase S tudy 1 Revivals 23 T homas Tode
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / C ase S tudy 2 U nity in D iversity 31 A nnemarie J aeggi
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / C ase S tudy 3 P roduction— Reproduction 41 A lena J . W illiams
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / C ase S tudy 4 U nique Works in Series 51 P auline D outreluingne and U li A igner
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / C ase S tudy 5 B ecoming F amous 57 M ercedes Valdivieso
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons / C ase S tudy 6 F amily Resemblances 65 M agdalena D roste
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / A n A rchive for C ontemporary Tasks 75 E sther C leven
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 7 Lecturing— E xhibiting 79 A nnemarie J aeggi
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 7 Lecturing— E xhibiting 85 U te F amulla
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 8 Yours M odernly 95 N icole O pel
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 9 S imple 103 M atthias N oell
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 9 S imple 109 S igurd L arsen
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 10 M issing— E xisting 111 H ans- Friedrich B ormann
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 10 M issing— E xisting 119 C hristine van H aaren
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 11 D issimilar Twins 125 H elga Lutz
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 11 D issimilar Twins 133 A nna H enckel- D onnersmarck
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 12 Ready for D ada 139 R alf B urmeister
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory / C ase S tudy 12 Ready for D ada 153 H anne B ergius
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / Youth and G enerational C onflict at the B auhaus 167 G regor K anitz
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / H appy B irthday, B auhaus! 173 J unges B auhaus
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / ‘A D own-to- E arth Realisation of the B auhaus I dea’ 177 C arina B urck
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / Learning W hat D oes N ot Yet E xist 179 N ora S ternfeld
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / C ase S tudy 13 P reliminary C ourse O riginal 183 Friederike H olländer and N ina W iedemeyer
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / C ase S tudy 13 D oing the P reliminary C ourse 199 P atrick Kochlik and J ens Wunderling
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool / C ase S tudy 14 T he M odel Teacher 203 U rsula M üller
/ A bout the Authors 217
/ I mage C redits 218
/ Acknowledgements 219
/ B ibliography 219
/ I ndex 223
/ I mprint 224original bauhaus 7 / F oreword 7 A nnemarie J aeggi and T homas Köhler
/ G reetings 9 K laus Lederer
/ G reetings 11 H ortensia Völckers and A lexander F arenholtz
/ I ntroduction 13 N ina W iedemeyer
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons 17
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory 73
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool 165
Annemarie Jaeggi
Director of the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung
Thomas Köhler
Director of the Berlinische Galerie
original bauhaus
The Centenary Exhibition—
100 years of bauhaus
With original bauhaus the Bauhaus-Archiv / new artistic possibilities brought through the stimulate a renewed, and certainly also con-
Museum für Gestaltung is using the centenary use of machines. Unlike many of his contem- tentious, engagement with the Bauhaus and
of the Bauhaus’s founding as an opportunity poraries, who assumed a critical attitude with its ideas and to maintain the vitality of the
to trace the current relevance of the maxims regard to this process, Moholy-Nagy saw re- diverse themes associated with the Bauhaus
and ideas developed there. This avant-garde production techniques aimed at mass produc- so that the critical exploration of them also
school, which existed from 1919 to 1933, still tion as a vehicle for training people’s senses, continues after the centenary has passed.
continues to stimulate the same enormous developing new perceptual possibilities and,
fascination it always has. With its visions and in doing so, generating unimagined insights. For the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Ge-
designs for society-changing reforms in ar- staltung it has been an enormous pleasure to
chitecture, building and residential living, the Thus, under the title original bauhaus, we have found — in the Berlinische Galerie — an
Bauhaus offers numerous points of departure raise (then and now) pressing questions about ideal host and simultaneously a cooperating
that can provide important impulses for an in- the meaning and interpretation of semantic partner for our exhibition celebrating the cen-
tensive engagement with discussions about fields associated with this topic — reproduc- tenary of the Bauhaus’s founding. In this con-
fundamental questions of attitude, life and de- tion and copy; prototype and model; repli- text, it is not just the synergies in the exhibi-
sign—and this is particularly true within to- ca, imitation and plagiarism; homage, satire tion’s planning and realisation and our shared
day’s polarised society. and forgery — to serve as a basis for taking a thematic connection with artistic modernism
new and critical look at the history and re- that have proved exceptionally fruitful: with
When the Bauhaus was founded, it was al- ception of the Bauhaus. In doing so, we have ‘Dada and Bauhaus’, new light could also be
ready not primarily focused on the creation deliberately deviated from a purely histori- shed on a little-known chapter in the histo-
of singular works of art. Instead, the aim of cal and chronological narrative and, instead, riography of the Bauhaus. We hope that this
Walter Gropius’s concept for the school was used 14 exemplary objects and groups of collaboration can also serve the future as a
to develop new approaches for building and works to trace these different approaches to successful example for working in partner-
living and to arrive at new solutions through artistic production and orientation. Twelve ships and networks.
an experimental occupation with materials contemporary, internationally present artists
and media — a method that continued to be have also devoted their attention to these dif- We extend our great thanks to the Federal
pursued in subsequent years, under direc- ferent approaches and reflected on the cur- State of Berlin and the German Federal Cul-
tors Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der rent relevance of Bauhaus originals in order tural Foundation for their generous funding
Rohe. New technological processes increas- to underscore this link to the present. How of the centenary exhibition. We additionally
ingly played a role in both the manufacture do derivative works, reconstructions or im- owe a special gratitude to the exhibition’s cu-
of mass-produced objects and the composi- itations relate to the original? Which image rator, Nina Wiedemeyer, as well as the teams
tion of works of fine art. Collaboration with of the Bauhaus is evoked in contemporary at our two institutions, who have realised this
industry became more and more important remakes? Our great aspiration is to use the ap- outstanding exhibition with great dedication
and the creation of prototypes and models proximately 700 works shown in the cente- and in the spirit of cooperation.
became a central objective of the Bauhaus’s nary exhibition — which include well-known
workshops. At the same time, teachers like icons and international loans, but also works
László Moholy-Nagy were propagating the presented publicly for the first time — tooriginal bauhaus 9 / F oreword 7 A nnemarie J aeggi and T homas Köhler
/ G reetings 9 K laus Lederer
/ G reetings 11 H ortensia Völckers and A lexander F arenholtz
/ I ntroduction 13 N ina W iedemeyer
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons 17
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory 73
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool 165
Klaus Lederer
Mayor and Senator for Culture and Europe
of the Federal State of Berlin
Foreword
The time has finally arrived! With original tute. With original bauhaus we are once again original bauhaus enables us to become in-
bauhaus Berlin is opening its major centenary showing in Berlin that an intensive engage- tensely engaged with the Bauhaus, but it also
exhibition. It is the result of the productive ment with the Bauhaus, with the friction be- allows us to take part in the dialogues of the
cooperation between the Bauhaus-Archiv / tween art and society, can also provide a twelve international artists who have com-
Museum für Gestaltung and the Berlinische genuine source of inspiration in our contem- mented on and questioned Bauhaus originals
Galerie and, for me, it successfully brings us porary world. for the exhibition. This brings us back to the
closer to the essence of the Bauhaus in more friction between art and society … I wish the
than one respect. 100 years of bauhaus: this motto stands exhibition original bauhaus many enthusiastic
equally for the event of its founding in Wei- visitors, who it will enable to experience, feel
The 100th birthday of the Bauhaus has cer- mar 100 years ago and for the many subse- and recognise the Bauhaus in all its facets.
tainly also given cause for scepticism. Weren’t quent movements and artistic developments
we just celebrating a brand name in order which it has now, in 2019, been initiating,
to polish Germany’s international image? influencing and shaping for 100 years. After
Or would it actually be possible to identify the beginning of the First World War had
ambivalent aspects and to not simply repro- put an end to the Werkbund’s debates about
duce the ‘Bauhaus brand’ — which is, after the function of art in society, I also see the
all, significantly newer—and instead achieve Bauhaus as standing precisely for the attempt
a contemporarily relevant engagement with to once more try to place this question on so-
the shifting and contradictory history of this ciety’s agenda.
school as well as the history of its reception
and legacy? The Bauhaus school existed from the year of
the Weimar Republic’s founding to the year
It is not just in Berlin that many of those in- of its abolishment. This alone points to how
volved have demonstrated that we can ap- eminently political this institute was as, in
proach the Bauhaus from more than just one the words of Hannes Meyer, an ‘archetypical
perspective and that we do not have to reduce child of the German republic’ and as a ‘Euro-
it to ‘just’ an extraordinary school of design. pean, indeed, international educational cen-
In an event initiated by the Bauhaus Coop- tre’. However, the traces of the Bauhaus, the
eration Weimar Dessau Berlin, we engaged works of its heirs, are now to be found all over
in ‘A Critical Discourse’. Together with the the world. Searching for them, pursuing them
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, we asked ‘How with curiosity, uncovering buried roots —
political is the Bauhaus?’. At the Akademie this can advance our knowledge and con-
der Künste we were able to experience a mag- vey new insights. Engaging with the 14 case
nificent opening exhibition for the cente- studies, the unusual stories about unknown
nary. bauhaus imaginista has tracked down the pieces as well as famous ‘classics’, forces us to
international links and stories of this insti- connect the object with the present.original bauhaus 11 / F oreword 7 A nnemarie J aeggi and T homas Köhler
/ G reetings 9 K laus Lederer
/ G reetings 11 H ortensia Völckers and A lexander F arenholtz
/ I ntroduction 13 N ina W iedemeyer
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons 17
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory 73
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool 165
Hortensia Völckers
Executive Board / Artistic Director
Alexander Farenholtz
Executive Board / Administrative Director
Foreword by the
German Federal Cultural Foundation
This book is part of a nationwide programme technology in a post-human modernity. Ex-
celebrating the centenary of the Bauhaus, periment and memory — the German Fed-
which has brought together more than a doz- eral Cultural Foundation has constantly
en of Germany’s 16 federal states and over a sought to pursue both aspects in allocating
hundred communities. Bauhaus artefacts are funds for the centenary. Thus, five million
delighting their audiences in all these places, of over 17 million euros in total funding have
and new museums are opening their doors. been devoted to the ‘Bauhaus Agents’ pro-
With its functional and aesthetic qualities, gramme alone. It focuses on cultural educa-
Bauhaus design enjoys cult status all around tion and a lasting collaboration between the
the world. Nonetheless, after 100 years, it still Bauhaus museums and young people, who
remains true that our exploration of the Wei- will be developing their own positions on how
mar Republic’s most famous art school still they want homes and towns to be built; how
remains incomplete. The indispensable cele- to dance, take photos, eat and dress; how we
bration of this cultural heritage also involves will be writing and speaking in the future—
looking at the complex ambivalence with and what role the Bauhaus can play in all of
which the Bauhaus gave shape to the moder- this.
nist project — stretching between the poles
of craft and technology, fine and applied art, The German Federal Cultural Foundation
cosmopolitanism and esotericism, paternal- thanks the Bauhaus Archiv / Museum für Ge-
ism and social experiment. And those are just staltung, its director Dr Annemarie Jaeggi
a few of the aesthetically and politically de- and particularly curator Dr Nina Wiedemey-
cisive trajectories along which the effects of er and project coordinator Britta Denzin; the
the Bauhaus developed. ‘The complete build- Berlinische Galerie, its director Dr Thomas
ing is the final aim of the visual arts’: when Köhler and especially Ursula Müller; and also
considering this motto formulated by Walter everyone else involved in the project—inclu-
Gropius, it is thus not just steel and glass and ding Friederike Holländer and the other Bau-
white cubes that come to mind during this haus Agents—for realising the centenary ex-
centenary, but also that architecture of ideas hibition original bauhaus, which examines the
which, like the entire project of modernism, originalities of material and immaterial Bau-
remains pressingly unfinished and open. In haus icons and subsequent elaborations upon
this way, it resembles the countless questions them from a rich variety of perspectives. We
that link our crisis-plagued 21st century with wish this initiative all the best and an audi-
the Bauhaus: questions about the freedom ence just as large as this book’s readership.
of art and education, global resource justice,
gender relations, affordable housing, urban
quality of life and the dominance of smartoriginal bauhaus 13 / F oreword 7 A nnemarie J aeggi and T homas Köhler
/ G reetings 9 K laus Lederer
/ G reetings 11 H ortensia Völckers and A lexander F arenholtz
/ I ntroduction 13 N ina W iedemeyer
C hapter 1 / B ecoming I cons 17
C hapter 2 / Writing H istory 73
C hapter 3 / F orming a S chool 165
Nina Wiedemeyer
original bauhaus
Why is the Bauhaus so important?1 To un- doctor’s office, the same chair is simply a sta- ly this is, after all, very much about cultivat-
derstand why, original bauhaus has inquired tus-signalling utilitarian object. The slanted ing diverse voices and living with differenc-
into the contribution of different forms of seat of Marcel Breuer’s Club Wassily-Chair may es. This is exactly what we could learn today
reproduction and appropriation — 100 years force waiting patients to exert themselves a bit from the Bauhaus, this school founded three
after the founding of this school of design, when rising from this re-edition of the B3, but times in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin.
art and architecture.2 And we are not refer- it will also grant them an insight not usually
ring here to the replicas of the famous Bau- possible in a museum. A rich repertoire of terms is available for in-
haus lamps or to advertising slogans for white quiring into the original. Some of these are
prefab houses with flat roofs. The centenary It is precisely when circumstances change in historical and were used by Bauhaus members
exhibition opens up new perspectives on the the biography of an object, with reproductions themselves, while others are current and fa-
rich material and immaterial culture of the becoming unique objects, that things become miliar: prototype, unique work, series, copy,
school—with new artistic creations and with exciting for original bauhaus — or also when remix, revival, assignments. original bauhaus
originals from the collection of the Bauhaus- originals are first generated through their re- uses 14 key objects from the Bauhaus peri-
Archiv as well as international loans. These makes and artists aim to shift these boun- od to explore the relations of production and
include familiar friends, but also forgotten daries. This is to say that things become exci- reproduction. These represent the 14 years,
objects, because the Bauhaus also produced ting every time they are not clear, and the from April 1919 to July 1933, during which
less famous things, such as Dadaistic photo- exhibition’s organisers very decidedly should the school existed as a state-funded and then
montages or the ingenious assignments from not dictate what could be christened an orig- as a private institution. The case studies in-
its art classes. inal. How much Bauhaus copy, based on the clude, for example, famous Bauhaus classics
model home of Weimar’s Haus am Horn, is like the Triadisches Ballett (Triadic ballet) by
In the museum a reproduced tubular steel there in Burbach’s Landhaus Ilse (Ilse coun- Oskar Schlemmer, which has repeatedly been
chair becomes a unique object. Just like the try home)? In this and in other cases, it is a brought back onstage — or in the park — by
original assembled in the metal workshop of question of the hybridity of things: it is pre- numerous professional productions and by
the historical Bauhaus, it enjoys museologi- cisely their ambiguity and diversity that is to amateurs, or the photograph with the famous
cal conditions and special protection — and, be put up for discussion. An object often be- anonymous figure on one of Breuer’s B3
much to the chagrin of some visitors, no one comes typically Bauhaus only with its repro- Chairs, which is discussed in the case study
is allowed to touch it. It is to be preserved, be- duction—and this always also brings changes ‘Becoming Famous’. The case of ‘Unity in
cause examining it can provide insights into with it.3 By no means is this just hair-split- Diversity’, on the other hand, is about the pro-
the conditions under which it was produced, ting among scholars of cultural studies. It is duction of a perfectly formed teapot by Mar-
for example, or because the chair documents a matter of attitude and values: fundamental- ianne Brandt which, even if it was meant to
a foyer furnishing particularly typical of its be a prototype, never went into serial produc-
time. By contrast, in the consulting room of a 3 Stephan Gregory has reflected on the power of the tion.
copyist in his teaching and lectures: at the Bauhaus-
1 Christian Demand explores this question in his con- Universität Weimar, in the seminar ‘Das kopieren-
tribution, which opens the chapter ‘Becoming Icons’. de Subjekt: Glanz und Elend der Imitation’, and in his The standard works about the Bauhaus have
2 The fundamental idea is thus to understand repro- lecture of 8 March 2018 at the conference ‘Abschrift, been written; there you can find the chronol-
ductions not as a ‘means to an end, but as productive Ablichtung, CC (et vice versa)’, also there: ‘Duplikat
in themselves’, see Probst 2011, p. 10. und Eigensinn: Subjekte des Kopiervorgangs’. ogy and narratives of its history arranged ac-original bauhaus 14 / I ntroduction N ina W iedemeyer
cording to director, workshop and art form. The name of the school stands for a mini- a high symbolic value today; however, dur-
original bauhaus is based on a different log- malist and functionalist architectural style, ing the Bauhaus period, graduates could sure-
ic and develops indicative case studies: with- and its design classics continue to be re- ly get more out of their certification that they
in this context, the paths leading through leased in re-editions today. Nonetheless the were master craftspeople or had completed a
the exhibition and the book each follow their Bauhaus — although it is sometimes forgot- craft apprenticeship. The network they were
own medial and spatial logic. In the book ten — was not a manufacturing facility for able to build up in the international art and
all of the case studies are grouped into three modern design and modular architecture. It is architecture scene was, of course, also valua-
chapters: ‘Becoming Icons’, ‘Writing History’ true that the institute spun off its own inde- ble and — particularly after the Nazis came to
and ‘Forming a School’. pendent limited company to market its own power—became necessary for the survival of
products and that it was already attempting to many of them.
Whether a product of human or mechani- use them to earn money in Weimar. Howev-
cal labour is a unique artwork or a multi- er, this was not just based on economic con- Whether products developed in the work-
ple that can be mechanically reproduced is a siderations. The idea of linking training with shops permanently remained prototypes be-
question which has been haunting art histo- industrial production had already been devel- cause their serial production would have
rians and the art market since the 1920s, and oped by the Bauhaus’s institutional predeces- been too expensive, too luxurious in terms
artists have appropriated the friction of these sor, the Großerherzoglich-Sächsische Kunst- of material,9 or simply because they did not
distinctions for themselves. The Bauhaus’s gewerbeshule Weimar, the school of applied correspond to consumer needs may be a far
László Moholy-Nagy was one of those media arts headed by Henry van de Velde.7 Hand- less relevant question than that of the expe-
artists who engaged with the distinctive char- crafted objects were to provide models for riences involved—which also included the
acteristics of conditions of production in the- mass production: on the one hand, this was intensive engagement with the material, in-
ory and practice. Entirely unlike Walter Ben- certainly due to competition with industry cluding mistakes and failures. The Bauhaus
jamin in his widely read essay on the ‘The for commissions, but it was also a fundamen- pursued a ‘don’t do it [all by] yourself ’ meth-
Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Repro- tal principle of a form of training that was not od, in the sense of a sound course of train-
duction’, Moholy-Nagy placed his faith in the to be carried out fully removed from the real ing in which students were not left on their
artistic potential of technology.4 He scratched conditions of production. In its early phase, own and, instead, were able to build on the
gramophone records and produced unique shortly after the First World War, the Bau- presence of the highly dedicated teachers ac-
photographic works in order to immediate- haus’s beginnings were economically precar- companying them — with the goal of making
ly multiply the singular; he used a telephone ious. It took on personnel from the disband- them experts in their field.10 Personal expe-
to communicate the coordinates for his pic- ed school of fine art as well as parts of the rience stood at the heart of things, but even
tures to a craftsman.5 Benjamin’s attitude was workshop equipment from the former school in the preliminary course, which was put in
substantially more sceptical, and he dissected of applied arts: the school’s initial orientation place to provide students with fundamentals
his period’s use of media, for example, in the was improvised and experimental. The work- before their training in the workshops, stu-
spread of advertising in urban spaces. He saw shops were to be provided with commissions. dents could not get far with anything that
the possibilities for utilising unique works as In 1923 the Haus am Horn resulted from a was just quickly thrown together. In the tex-
source material for production on a massive major collective effort. All of the workshops tile workshop in Dessau, there was also crit-
scale as devaluing the original. However, it is were involved in realising, furnishing and icism of the pressure to perform created
only through reproductions that modern icons publicly presenting this detached home serv- through the transition to a manufacturing
are created. Through experimentation — as ing as a model house.8 Bauhaus students went operation and a commercial line of furniture
Moholy-Nagy emphatically formulates his through a dual course of training in artistic and textile products for interiors. From the
proposal in the essay ‘Production – Reproduc- and workshop practice. They could leave the weavers’ perspective, this left too little space
tion’—artistic qualities could be wrested from school with a universally recognised certifica- for experimentation.11 And that aspect which
mechanical media, such as the gramophone tion of their training as apprentices. Profes- is today rightly considered particularly pro-
or photography. His own photographic works sional trade associations defined the relevant gressive about the Bauhaus—the intense and
play with uniqueness and reproduction in a standards and also carried out the testing. not immediately goal-oriented engagement
complex manner and thus reflect on both the Their bylaws specified which techniques had with materials and production processes as
medial conditions of technology and the sta- to be learned. A Bauhaus diploma possesses well as the invention of techniques, to enable
tus of the artist as creator. In Moholy-Nagy’s
art, technology becomes a co-creator.6 7 See Wahl 2007. 9 Thus, for example, Robin Schuldenfrei focuses on
luxury as an argument for why the Bauhaus failed,
8 In her Case Study, ‘Exhibiting the Bauhaus’, Ute Fam- see Schuldenfrei 2018.
4 Benjamin 1980. ulla discusses the Bauhaus travelling exhibition un-
der Hannes Meyer’s directorship at the Bauhaus, 10 For an insightful analysis of the culture and conse-
5 Rech 2012. which was intended to develop international aware- quences of dilettantism, see Wirth 2017.
6 Moholy-Nagy 1922. ness of the work and products of the school. 11 See Bittner/Padt 2017, p. 138.original bauhaus 15 / I ntroduction N ina W iedemeyer
innovation above all — was not admired by ment around 1900, a number of newly found- Bauhaus (we had both of them interviewed
everyone as obviously appropriate in its own ed schools and an understanding of the im- about aspects that link them to the school
day.12 Thus, an open letter by students at the portance of craft and artistic training like that for a video installation by Torero Film) re-
Bauhaus in Dessau expressed doubt about also cultivated at other schools of applied arts veal that false reverence based on the impor-
the purposefulness of the preliminary course, and fine arts.15 The development of utilitarian tance of this institution is unnecessary. After
which is still considered today to be one of objects and architecture stood at the heart 100 years, our understanding of the Bauhaus
the most influential elements of training at of the Bauhaus. Both fields have always had is once again becoming very much like the
the school. Their question was how it was a different understanding of the unique work Bauhaus: less value is placed on proper form
supposed to provide a preparation for their from fine art, which has of course — with its and style than on critical practice, challeng-
later training. The students could not recog- printing and casting processes — always also ing teaching and vigorous discussion.
nise any connection between the tedious ex- pursued its own artistic techniques of repro-
ercises and their later training in the work- duction. Successfully producing an identi- Proven experts, some of them with decades
shops and demanded a more goal-oriented cal object can be a demonstration of mastery of scholarly and/or curatorial expertise, have
approach.13 Not everyone saw the independ- in the crafts, because it is only through the written for this book on the history of the
ent and free exploration of the qualities of trained gestures of work and implicit knowl- Bauhaus. Others, specifically without being
materials as positively as someone like Hans edge that regular repetitions become possible Bauhaus specialists, have introduced new per-
Fischli, who looked back on the time he and, with them, the planning required to pro- spectives — from their research, teaching and
spent in the preliminary course: ‘The weeks duce, for example, the right lid to fit a con- practice — on so-called Bauhaus classics as
spent occupied with paper made the materi- tainer. In architecture there was an emphatic well as lesser-known objects, and they have
al seem ever more valuable to us through dis- effort to make working processes more eco- reflected on how these became icons, wrote
satisfaction and disinclination, until we fi- nomical, that is, reproducible.16 And one of history and formed a school.
nally loved it and expertly grasped its nature humanity’s oldest cultural techniques, weav-
with our eyes and sense of touch. Paper be- ing, crosses out any linear understanding of I would like to express my very personal and
came an object of wealth’.14 original and copy. With the pattern repeat, warmest gratitude to all of the authors, art-
reproduction is a precondition for the possi- ists and designers, to Thomas Köhler and the
Slide projectors, typewriters, shorthand, draw- bility of textiles — even of their originals.17 team at the Berlinische Galerie — particularly
ing boards, craft workshops and analogue Ursula Müller and Ralf Burmeister—to Anne-
cameras were the media of choice for teaching There is a precise distinction to be made be- marie Jaeggi for far more than just the idea
at the Bauhaus. One hundred years later, we tween the same thing and a thing that is the for this exhibition and all of my colleagues at
find ourselves in the midst of the digital revo same. Originals can be both: the unique as the Bauhaus-Archiv — especially Britta Den-
lution; the media typical of the Bauhaus are well as the reproduced object. Reproduction zin and Nicole Opel — and to the many dedi-
no longer part of school pupils’ and universi- makes things accessible and is thus always cated people possessing know-how in various
ty students’ daily lives — if they are famil- also a social practice: even if many products areas, without whom a project like this could
iar with them at all, it is as hip retro practic- from the Bauhaus are marketed today in a not have been realised.
es. The decisive question that has driven us more or less exclusive manner, diverse forms
during this centenary is: how current is the of appropriation and inspiration still exist.
Bauhaus, and what relevance does it have to- The nimble and witty manner in which art-
day? And transferring the teaching methods ists like the musician Olaf Bender or the ar-
of that period to the present can hardly pro- chitect Barbara Brakenhoff approach the
vide a satisfactory response. The Bauhaus and 15 The two essays introducing the chapter ‘Forming a
its pedagogy are not timeless: they existed School’ devote themselves to this aspect. On the
one hand, Carina Burck discusses the Frankfurt Art
within the context of the school reform move- School, an example permitting a comparison with a
school contemporary to the Bauhaus. On the other
12 ‘The increasing dissatisfaction with the instruction in hand, Nora Sternfeld deals with the problematic im-
the preliminary course has led us to state our posi- plications of modernist utopias from today’s per-
tion regarding these questions. it seems useless to spective, and points to two updated versions of the
us to spend our time here with work whose purpose preliminary course.
we cannot recognise.’ Anonymous, ‘Vorkurs’ (c. 1930), 16 The consequences of industrial production and the
in Weimar-Dessau-Berlin, Folder 63, Bauhaus-Archiv problematic implications of modernist utopias are ex-
Berlin. amined, for example, by Bernhard Siegert in the re-
13 Ursula Müller reports on students’ high level of sat- search project Die Baracke: Utopie der Moderne und
isfaction with the goal-oriented instruction under Mies biopolitische Praxis at the Bauhaus-Universität We-
van der Rohe in her contribution dealing with the Case imar, see http://infar.architektur.uni-weimar.de/ser-
Study of ‘The Model Teacher’ in this catalogue. vice/drupal-mediaarch/node/40 (accessed 14.5.2019).
14 Fischli pp. 37–38. 17 See Schneider 2011.You can also read
