From the Bauhaus to the New World

Curators: Achim Borchadt-Hume, Björn Egging, Thomas Kellein
Venues and schedule:
Bielefeld: 25 Jun. - 1 Oct. 2006
New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, October 2006 - January 2007


Josef Albers and László Moholy-Nagy were two leaders of the Bauhaus movement whose influence was felt in various educational fields far beyond their spheres of activity in Weimar and Dessau. While Moholy-Nagy was an "artistic engineer" of sorts who experimented with ways of combining art and technology, Albers' goal was primarily pedagogical in nature, as he tried to sensitise his students to artistic materials. The Kunsthalle Bielefeld took over and expanded an exhibition shown at the London Tate Modern which dynamically compared the paintings, sculptures, installations and photographs of both artists. This large Bauhaus exhibition was the first of the 21st century and drew a great deal of international attention. Its exhibition concept aimed to present historical material in a uniquely tangible way and demonstrated the Bauhaus concepts which are likely to survive in the coming decades. The exhibition was accompanied by a summer academy for young architects. Following its presentation in Germany, the exhibition was displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.