Bauhaus 1919–1933

With a wide diversity of objects, including examples of industrial design, furniture, graphics, film, photography, book design, weaving, theater, painting and sculpture, the exhibition will highlight the school’s revolutionary ideas of artistic education and production, as well as its enduring influence. Several of the key objects in the exhibition have never been shown in the U.S. Representing an innovative pedagogical approach, works by Bauhaus masters such as Walter Gropius, Josef Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, László Moholy-Nagy, Johannes Itten and Paul Klee will be joined by little-known student work created in the school’s workshops. Other important themes that will be explored in the exhibition and catalogue are the school’s strategy of self-promotion, its connection with industrial production and commerce and the question of authorship.

This exhibition will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Bauhaus in Weimar as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of The Museum of Modern Art, which was inspired by founding director’s Alfred Barr’s visits to Dessau in the years before the Museum opened its doors. Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity is organized by Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design; and Leah Dickerman, Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture; and other MoMA colleagues, marking a landmark multi-departmental collaboration in the spirit of the Bauhaus. The Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, Germany, will present their exhibition on the Bauhaus in the summer 2009. The New York exhibition will include many of the same objects as the Berlin presentation, but will also have a distinct curatorial shaping focusing on MoMA’s history with the Bauhaus.

The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Gallery, sixth floor