bauhaus.typography / bauhaus.typografie

the bauhaus archive / museum of design in berlin has one of the most extensive collections of typographic works from the bauhaus. with the selection shown here, we want to provide insights into this rich collection as well as illustrate the diverse possibilities and the multifaceted handling of this medium at the bauhaus.

 the bauhaus – probably the most important avant-garde school of the 20th century, founded in weimar in 1919 by the architect walter gropius, relocated to dessau in 1925 and closed in berlin in 1933 under pressure from the national socialists – offers numerous points of association and contact for all those interested in architecture and design. in the workshops of the bauhaus, modern objects were created for a new living environment, from everyday objects to residential buildings. quite a few designs, especially in the fields of furniture and architecture, gained historical significance.

typography already played an important role in the founding of the bauhaus. in the early years, the bauhaus was still influenced by the expressive-calligraphic pictorial language of johannes itten, but the bauhaus contributed to the spread of the so-called new typography, especially through the teachers lászló moholy-nagy, herbert bayer and joost schmidt. mainly used in self-promotion for the school and its products, but also increasingly for commissioned work, the works are often characterized by a clear typesetting, the use of concise typographic signs, strong contrasts of colour, size and position, standardized formats and the penetration of image and writing.