Bauhaus 2019

International thematic focus

Programme description

In the matter of fourteen short years, the State Bauhaus of Weimar, Dessau and Berlin became the catalyst that would revolutionise 20th-century architecture, art and design. Between 1919 and 1933, the Bauhaus set out to re-evaluate everything – and nothing would be the same again. In the history of modernism, the Bauhaus stands out as a singular phenomenon because it represented a far-reaching model for exceedingly liberal-minded processes of education and production. In 2019, Germany and its partners around the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus. The same controversial questions present themselves today as they did back then: What role do art and culture play in releasing the creative energies of individuals and shaping them in conjunction with society? What forms of life can adequately respond to the challenges of today? How do we wish to shape our coexistence in the future? In what kind of houses? In what kind of cities?

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, the Federal Cultural Foundation has launched an extensive, multifaceted, nationwide programme which highlights the historic legacy, the international impact and the contemporary relevance of the Bauhaus. It aims to (re-)introduce the Bauhaus to the general public, highlight the history and legends of the Bauhaus, communicate Bauhaus ideas and create new impulses. To what extent is the Bauhaus still considered a model or icon of avant-garde modernity in Germany, as influential in interdisciplinary, collective design and as an impulse for bringing about real change? Who are the avant-gardists of today, the designers who are shaping the world of tomorrow? In terms of its cultural-political impact, the programme aims to use this historic occasion to proactively encourage the participating partners at the Bauhaus sites and in other German states to develop Bauhaus-related projects of their own.

The Federal Cultural Foundation has allocated 16.5 million euros to fund the “Bauhaus 2019” programme from 2016 to 2021.

The International thematic focus Bauhaus is divided into three parts: the application-based Bauhaus Today Fund (opens in a new window), an educational programme for new Bauhaus museums called Bauhaus Agenten, and the commemorative programme Bauhaus Alliance 2019 (opens in a new window).

Contact

Friederike Zobel
Kulturstiftung des Bundes

Franckeplatz 2
06110 Halle (Saale)
Tel.: +49 (0)345 2997 166
Fax.: +49 (0)345 2997 333