Bauhaus 1919: Design Revolution

In 1919, during the economic devastation of post-First World War Germany, architect Walter Gropius did something incredibly optimistic. Walter Gropius, Weimar-based architect of the Bauhaus – the pioneering design school – led a quiet revolution that changed the modern world’s appearance, sensation and functionality.

Gropius’s vision was beautifully simple yet totally radical: to wipe out the distinction between “fine arts” like painting and sculpture and “functional crafts” like carpentry and pottery. He imagined a utopian community where artists and artisans would work together as equals to design for the industrial age.

The period prior to 1919 was obsessed with the embellishment on antiquated architectural styles. The Bauhaus turned this on its head, asserting that the beauty of an object should derive from its function and material, not the other way around.

While the physical manifestation of the school lasted only for 14 years before political pressure forced its closure in 1933, Gropius’ blueprint was a success. It completely transformed the look of the world, proving that functional, mass-produced objects can and should be works of art.