When the Bauhaus opened its doors in Weimar, Germany, on March 20, 1919 it was clear it would be a design school like no other. Founding director, architect Walter Gropius had enlisted Swiss painter Paul Klee to teach bookbinding, German painter Oskar Schlemmer to head up the theatre workshop and Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky to oversee the painting studio.
"Architects, sculptors, painters, we all must return to the crafts!" he wrote in the inaugural Bauhaus Manifesto. The First World War was over, the 20th century had truly begun, a new utopia was in order.
But there was not yet a distinct form or direction to these ideals; the early Bauhaus was a loose collective of garrulous creatives rallied around a charismatic leader. Swiss painter Johannes Itten, a member of the pseudo-religious Mazdaznan sect (which claimed descent from Zoroastrianism), was a prominent figure with his shaved head, monkish garb and vegetarian fervour, encouraging his students to follow suit.
Now 100 years old, the Bauhaus still looks just as fresh today as it did when it began. It was a place to experiment and embrace a new creative freedom. Thanks to this philosophy, the Bauhaus still shapes the world around us.
Trace The Story of the Bauhaus through the 100 personalities, designs, ideas and events that shaped this monumental movement. Learn about leaders Paul Klee, Walter Gropius, Anni Albers and Wassily Kandinsky; witness groundbreaking events and wild parties that would revolutionise contemporary design; and discover a range of innovative ideas and new ways of thinking.