De Ferranti Glossary: "Bauhaus"

Glossary: B

Bauhaus
Bauhaus is the common term for the Staatliches Bauhaus a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts. It operated from 1919 to 1933, and for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius.

The name Bauhaus stems from the German words for "to build" and "house." Ironically, despite its name and the fact its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department for the first several years of its existence.

Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in Modernist architecture and modern design.

The Bauhaus had a profound influence upon subsequent developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and typography.
The school existed in three German cities (Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932, Berlin from 1932 to 1933), under three different architect-directors (Walter Gropius from 1919 to 1927, Hannes Meyer from 1928 to 1930, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe from 1930 to 1933). The changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors, and politics. When the school moved from Weimar to Dessau, for instance, although it had been an important revenue source, the pottery shop was discontinued. When Mies took over the school in 1930, he transformed it into a private school, and would not allow any supporters of Hannes Meyer to attend it.

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