Although the name Bauhaus is well known internationally, few people are truly aware both of the complexity of its history and the diversity of its architectural legacy.
Bauhaus is a German expression meaning “house for building”. Evolving out of the “Arts and Crafts” movement, the Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in 1919, bringing with him lessons learned under Peter Behrens, a highly influential German architect whose studio helped to develop Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (head of the Bauhaus School, 1930-1933), and Le Corbusier, a leader in the French Modernist movement. Walter Gropius and the two subsequent heads of the school, the architects Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, introduced principles that shaped the foundation of modern architecture. The Bauhaus masters emphasized the creation of classical forms without extraneous ornamentation; embracing technology, their philosophy stressed the search for solutions to contemporary design problems in urban planning, housing and utilitarian mass-production.
Conceived as a multidisciplinary project encompassing architecture, design, and photography, Bauhaus twenty-21 not only conveys the architectural history, but also illustrates the enduring philosophies of the Bauhaus. The exhibition, by creating a visual as well as theoretical dialogue between the timeless modernism of Bauhaus architecture and the visions of contemporary practitioners, offers a unique perspective on Bauhaus design philosophy as it relates to architecture and its relevance in today’s society.
Sample Photos:
March 7 – April 26, 2009
Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt
May 8 – July 5, 2009
International Cultural Centre, Krakow
In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Krakow
July 17 – September 19, 2009
Extended until October 24, 2009
Forum d'Urbanisme et d'Architecture, Nice
February 26 – March 14, 2010
Haus der Gegenwart, Munich
In collaboration with the Süddeutsche Zeitung - Magazin
and the Consulate General of the United States Munich
March 23 – March 26, 2010
Nordic Building & Construction Fair, Stockholm
April 23 – June 20, 2010
Jakopič Gallery, Ljubljana
In collaboration with the National Gallery of Slovenia and the Goethe-Institut Ljubljana
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Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy has been initiated by New York based photographer Gordon Watkinson. Mr. Watkinson has worked as a commercial photographer for over 15 years, photographing notable sports figures, fashion models and directed broadcast commercials as well as promotional videos for large commercial clients. Recently, Mr. Watkinson has concentrated on photographing architecture and design, both as a fine artist and as a commercial photographer.
The exhibition has been developed with the curatorial advice of Michael Siebenbrodt, Director of the Bauhaus-Museum in Weimar. Mr. Siebenbrodt is the co-author of The Bauhaus-Museum: The Kunstsammlungen in Weimar (1996), a chronological survey of art and art schools in Weimar between 1900 and 1930, and an overview of the prominent teachers and their work and theories. From 1985 to 1988, he was a researcher for the "Zentrum für Gestaltung" at the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and during his last year there was head of the collection.
Prof. Dr. Falk Jaeger, free lance critic, editor and curator in Berlin. Mr. Jaeger worked 1983-1988 for the Institute of History of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. 1993 to 2000 he was appointed Chair of Theory of Architecture at the Technical University of Dresden. 2001 until 2002, he was editor in chief of the German architecture magazine Bauzeitung. Today he is working on architecture theory and history of architecture for major newspapers and architecture magazines, radio and TV stations.
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Companion publication to the exhibition
Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy
Photographs by Gordon Watkinson
Gordon Watkinson
Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy
With texts by Falk Jaeger and Peter Cachola Schmal, as well as contributions by Michael Siebenbrodt and twelve prominent architects
140 duotone photographs and 60 line drawings
240 x 290 mm, 232 pages, hardback
2009 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel
ISBN 978-3-0346-0054-5
(English Edition)
ISBN 978-3-0346-0055-2
(German Edition)
Conceived as a multidisciplinary project encompassing architecture, design, and photography, Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy is the first critical and visual exploration of the Bauhaus heritage in the context of contemporary living and architecture.
The companion publication displays interpretative photographs of Bauhaus classics in direct dialogue with some of the most innovative buildings of early 21st century architecture, all captured by the lens of New York photographer Gordon Watkinson.
With contributions by Peter Cachola Schmal, director of the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt, Michael Siebenbrodt, director of the Bauhaus-Museum in Weimar, Prof. Dr. Jaeger, a prominent architecture historian and critic, and an international set of modern-day architects discussing the legacy of Bauhaus ideas and formal language as they are reflected in their work.
