October 10–November 8, 2019
San Francisco, June 26, 2019: On the 100-year anniversary of the Bauhaus school’s opening in Weimar, Germany, American Institute of Architects, San Francisco (AIASF) and the Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) are pleased to present bauhaus.photo, a traveling exhibition, developed by the Bauhaus-Archiv/Museum für Gestaltung, Berlin, in partnership the Goethe Institut San Francisco. bauhaus.photo presents 100 key works from the world’s largest collection of Bauhaus photography, which is comprised of more than 70,000 images.
100 photographic reprints presented at the partnering venues will display the wide variety of ways in which photography was used to document and foster creativity at the Bauhaus. Categorized into four themes–life at the Bauhaus (celebrations/performances, everyday life/leisure and life in the workshops), portraits, architectural and product photography, as well as images from the Bauhaus’s only photography course, headed by Walter Peterhans–these prints provide an extensive overview of the artistically diverse Bauhaus campus. AIASF will showcase the majority of the photographs spanning all four themes in the Center for Architecture + Design gallery. Additionally, in their front galleries, the Museum of Craft and Design will feature 30 photographs focusing on design objects, weaving workshops, and product photography.
The exhibition presents classic works by Lucia Moholy, László Moholy-Nagy, and T. Lux Feininger as well as images by lesser-known photographers like Kattina Both, Irene Bayer and Max Peiffer Watenpfuhl. Their photos use dynamic diagonals, extreme perspectives, and refined tricks to visualize the experimental and professional approach to the medium of photography at the Bauhaus. Such images convey life at one of the 20th century’s most important art schools.
The works of Bauhaus students and teachers helped lead to the simultaneous development of contemporary avant-garde photography, from Surrealism and Dadaism to the New Vision and New Objectivity.
The exhibition bauhaus.photo is part of Wunderbar Together: The Year of German-American Friendship 2018/19, a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institut and with support from the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
bauhaus.photo will be located in the front of the museum adjacent to the museum store. Admission to bauhaus.photo will be free to all MCD visitors.
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Additional information, images and exhibition checklist can be downloaded via this Dropbox link.
bauhaus.photo Related Events
Opening reception at AIA San Francisco, 130 Sutter Street, Suite 600
October 10, 2019, 6:00–8:00 PM
Panel discussion at the Museum of Craft and Design
October 11, 2019
Above Images: Unknown photographer, “Bauhaus“ lettering on the Bauhaus building, 1930 (left)
Grit Kallin-Fischer: Industrial porcelain, KPM-Berlin, 1930 (right) Copyright: Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin
About the Museum of Craft and Design
Celebrating 15 years with DESIGN15, the Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) is the only museum in San Francisco devoted to craft and design. Founded in 2004, the MCD showcases designers, makers and artists through an exciting and distinctive series of craft and design-focused exhibitions and public programs. As a non-collecting institution, the museum actively collaborates with artists, designers, museums and universities, as well as design venues and practitioners to create inspirational experiences in the world of craft and design for visitors of all ages. sfmcd.org
About the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter (AIASF)
Serving the Bay Area for more than a century, the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter, one of the largest of the AIA’s nearly 300 chapters, represents more than 2,300 practicing architecture as well as 400+ allied community professionals in San Francisco and Marin Counties. As a resource for their members and the general public, AIA San Francisco strives to improve the quality of life in the Bay Area by promoting architecture and design. They further this goal through community involvement, education, advocacy, public outreach, member services, and professional excellence. www.aiasf.org
About the Center for Architecture + Design
The Center for Architecture + Design is a 501(c)3 organization and shares its home with the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco chapter (AIASF) and the American Institute of Graphic Arts, San Francisco (AIGASF). Located in the historic Hallidie Building, designed by Willis Polk in 1917, the Center opened to the public in 2006 as the first LEED Silver space and continues to educate architects and the general public about the advantages of sustainable design. The Center aims to create positive change in communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area by offering public programs that encourage dialogue about the design built industry both locally and internationally through events such as the highly acclaimed Architecture + the City festival and San Francisco Living: Home Tours. Additionally, we offer a variety of exhibitions, lectures, walking tours, films and other programs that reveal the richness of the world of architecture and design.
About Goethe-Institut San Francisco
The Goethe-Institut, the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, is comprised of 159 institutes in 98 countries. The San Francisco branch has been promoting German culture and language since 1967. Its year-round cultural activities include performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, readings and lectures, annual events with local cultural institutions and social gatherings. The Goethe-Institut San Francisco is renown due to the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, one of the leading festivals of German cinema in the Americas.
Media Contacts
Sarah Beth Rosales, Marketing and Communication Director, MCD
sbrosales@sfmcd.org or 415.773.0303
Alicia Arroyo, Marketing and Communications Manager, AIASF
aarroyo@aiasf.org or 415.874.2624
Bettina Wodianka, Goethe-Institut San Francisco,
bettina.wodianka@goethe.de or 415 263 8768
