During the Easter break, I visited Berlin on a friends holiday and I made sure to visit the world renowned Bauhaus Archiv in central Berlin. The museum its self isn't huge, but the range of objects and pieces of work they have on display is amazing. The gallery space charts the history of the Bauhaus right from the day it was founded. I used an audio guide throughout the gallery which gave me bite size pieces of information, history and context to the work on display.
I really loved the design of the building its self. The Bauhaus Archiv was built in the 1960's and a way of preserving the work which is considered globally to be the most influential movement in the arts of the 20th century. The Bauhaus Archive was founded in Darmstadt in 1960. Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus, and other members of the Bauhaus movement gave their support. The collection grew so quickly that a dedicated museum seemed attractive and Gropius was asked to design it. In 1964, he produced plans for a new museum in Darmstadt, on the Rosenhöhe, which was prevented by local politics.
The Senate of Berlin was however ready to supply both space and money for the project. In 1971 the Bauhaus Archive moved to temporary accommodation in Berlin. Modifying the plans for the location beside the Landwehrkanal, political decisions and financial restrictions delayed things. The foundation stone was finally laid in 1976 and the building was ready by 1979. There is not that much left of Gropius' original 1964 design apart from the characteristic silhouette of the shed roofs.
There was such a broad range of work on show. When people think of the Bauhaus, me included, we think mainly of art and graphic design, but the Bauhaus was much more than this. Many contemporary designers and architects are directly influenced by Bauhaus work. It is hard to define the movement as a style, but the principles and methods used at the art school resulted in highly influential artists going on to produce even more influential and inspiring pieces of work. I was amazed to see things such as cutlerly, chairs and even rugs on display in the gallery space.
Even the emergency signs were designed in a way that is synonymous with the Bauhaus. I found that really entertaining but also completely understandable as the museum wants to give off and maintain a specific aesthetic.
Children's toys:
Kitchenware:
World famous collages, painting and photographs: I wasn't actually allowed to take any photographs inside the gallery space, but I managed to sneak in a few cunning shots here and there.
The gallery shop was great, but way too expensive for me. I bought a great book summing up the gallery and it's history and a few postcards:
Posters on sale:
Outdoor cafe area:
I am so happy that I got a chance to see this amazing gallery, it definitely made my trip to Berlin worthwhile, as before going, I knew only very basic pieces of information about the Bauhaus and wasn't the greatest fan of its style, but I appreciate it for what it is. I now know a lot more of its history and can relate a lot more to the breadth of work that the Bauhaus produced over the years.
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