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Bauhaus Photography

BAUHAUS STYLE

The Bauhaus was a progressive German art and design school founded by the architect Walter Gropius that operated from 1919 to 1933. Authentic Bauhaus furnituresofas, dining chairs, tables and more — and the school’s followers married industrial and natural materials in simple, geometric forms. The goal of the Bauhaus was to erase the distinction between art and craft while embracing the use of new technologies and materials.

ORIGINS OF BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Emphasis on craft
  • Simplicity, order, clarity and a prioritization of functionalism
  • Incorporation of geometric shapes
  • Minimalist and refined, little to no ornamentation
  • Use of industrial materials such as tubular chrome, steel and plastic as well as leather, cane and molded plywood in furniture and other products

BAUHAUS FURNITURE DESIGNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW

AUTHENTIC BAUHAUS FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The name Bauhaus is derived from the German verb bauen, “to build.” Under the school’s innovative curriculum, students were taught the fine arts, such as painting and sculpture, as well as practical skills like carpentry and metalworking. 

The school moved from Weimar in 1925 to the city of Dessau, where it enjoyed its heyday under Gropius, then Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The period from 1932 to 1933 when it operated in Berlin under Mies was its final chapter. Despite its brief existence, the Bauhaus has had an enduring impact on art and design in the United States and elsewhere, and is regarded by many as the 20th century’s chief crucible of modernism

The faculty roster at the Bauhaus reads like a who’s who of modernist creative genius — it included such artists as Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and László Moholy-Nagy along with architects and designers like Mies and Marcel Breuer, who became known for his muscular brutalist-style concrete buildings in the postwar years. In 1925, while he was head of the Bauhaus carpentry workshop, Breuer gave form to his signature innovation: the use of lightweight tubular-steel frames for chairs, side tables and sofas — a technique soon adopted by Mies and others. Breuer’s Cesca chair was the first-ever tubular steel frame chair with a caned seat to be mass produced, while the inspiration for his legendary Wassily chair, a timeless design and part of the collection crafted to furnish the Dessau school, was the bike he rode around campus.

Bauhaus design style reflects the tenets by which these creators worked: simplicity, clarity and function. They disdained superfluous ornament in favor of precise construction. Seating pieces such as side chairs, armchairs or club chairs for example, were made with tubular metal or molded plywood frames, and upholstery was made from leather or cane. Above all, designs in the Bauhaus style offer aesthetic flexibility. They can be the elements of a wholly spare, minimalist space, the quiet foundation of an environment in which color and pattern come from one’s own collection of art and artifacts.

Today, from textiles to typefaces, architecture, furniture and decorative objects for the home, Bauhaus creations continue to have an outsize influence on modern design.

Find a collection of authentic Bauhaus furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Bauhaus
Aleksandr Rodchenko Constructivist Photograph Gelatin silver print 1936
Aleksandr Rodchenko Constructivist Photograph Gelatin silver print 1936

Aleksandr Rodchenko Constructivist Photograph Gelatin silver print 1936

By Man Ray, Lucia Moholy-Nagy, László Moholy-Nagy

Located in Brussels, Brussels

The Pole Vault, 1936 Photography by Alexander Rodchenko Gelatin silver print, on Agfa barite paper. Printed in 1987 by Alexander Lavrentiev from the original negative from around 1936. Limited edition of the Griffelkunst-Vereinigung e.V., Hamburg. Photographer’s Stamp A. M. Родченко (Cyrillic) on the backside image/sheet: 18 x 23.8 cm Alexander Rodchenko (1891–1956) was a Russian avant-garde artist, photographer, and graphic designer, renowned for his contributions to the Constructivist movement. He studied painting at the Kazan School of Art before moving to Moscow, where he became a pivotal figure in the Russian avant-garde. Rodchenko embraced geometric abstraction and worked across various media, including painting, sculpture, and photomontage. He was a leading innovator in Soviet photography...

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Early 20th Century Swedish Bauhaus Photography

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Photogram No. 4 by Timothy Reagan
Photogram No. 4 by Timothy Reagan

Photogram No. 4 by Timothy Reagan

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László Moholy-Nagy Black and White Landscape Photography
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László Moholy-Nagy photography. Stamp: "Nachlass László Moholy-Nagy (1895 - 1946) (= Estate of László Moholy-Nagy "and "einmalige Auflage fu¨r die Griffelkunst 1994") (= single ed...

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Laszlo Moholy-Nagy Photography, Bauhaus Style, Paper, 1990s Edition
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Laszlo Moholy-Nagy photography. Stamp: "Nachlass La´zlo´ Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) (= Estate of La´zlo´ Moholy-Nagy" and "einmalige Auflage fu¨r die Griffelkunst 1994") (= single ed...

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Bauhaus photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Bauhaus photography for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage photography created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Bauhaus photography made in a specific country, there are Europe, Germany, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original photography, popular names associated with this style include László Moholy-Nagy, and Timothy Reagan. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for photography differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,540 and tops out at $2,201 while the average work can sell for $1,971.