Week 3 Recap
In our third week of the Women of Bauhaus course, we delved into the groundbreaking contributions of notable female artists who played crucial roles in shaping the Bauhaus movement. Despite being overshadowed by their male counterparts, these women left an indelible mark on the fields of photography, metalwork, furniture design, and photomontage.
Lucia Moholy: Expert Photographs of the Bauhaus
We began by exploring the work of Lucia Moholy, a trailblazer in architectural photography. Her striking images of Bauhaus buildings in Dessau, particularly the Professor Houses, introduced a new way of documenting modern living. Unfortunately, her glass negatives were used without her consent by Walter Gropius, the founder of Bauhaus, to craft his own narrative of the movement. Lucia’s work was appropriated and handed out to male colleagues, leading to her contributions being overshadowed. After moving to Switzerland, she only managed to recover about half of her original negatives.
Marianne Brandt: Expensive Metalwork and Metalwork for the Masses
Next, we examined the multifaceted career of Marianne Brandt, an innovative designer and photographer. Her famous Tea Extract Pot set a record at auction, selling for an impressive 360,000 euros, making it the most expensive Bauhaus object ever sold. Brandt's work also extended into photomontage, with pieces like Pariser Impressionen (1926), which centered on women's mobility and experiences. Her double-exposed self-portraits from the early 1930s left us all in awe. Despite burning some of her paintings, Brandt's legacy in metalwork and photomontage continues to inspire.
Lilly Reich: A New Interior for a New World
We also highlighted Lilly Reich, whose expertise in furniture design challenged traditional narratives. Her Weißenhof Chair from 1926, with its intricate wickerwork, exemplifies her skill. While the famous Barcelona Chair is often attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, there is growing recognition of Reich's significant contribution to its design. As a leader in both furniture and textile design at Bauhaus, her influence on modernism was immense but often under-credited.
Photomontages from the Bauhaus and Hannah Höch
Finally, we touched on the work of Hannah Höch, known for her pioneering photomontages, which were central to the Dada movement and feminist critique. We also revisited the broader theme of “dispelling the myth of masculine modernism,” as we recognized how these women shaped Bauhaus design and philosophy in ways that have long been overlooked.
The week’s class revealed how women at Bauhaus explored the “language of function and play” across various mediums, from metalwork to fashion design and photography. Their contributions were pivotal in defining the Bauhaus ethos, yet their names are often left out of the broader narrative.
We hope this session inspired you to further explore the lasting impact of women in Bauhaus and continue questioning the often male-dominated histories of modernism. See you next week for another immersion into their fascinating work!
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