Bauhaus (Basic Art)

Taschen Basic Architecture

by Magdalena Droste, Peter Gössel (Editor)

In a fleeting 14-year period between two world wars, Germany’s Bauhaus school of art and design changed the face of modernity. With utopian ideas for the future, the school developed a pioneering fusion of fine art, craftsmanship, and technology, which they applied across media and practices from film to theater, and sculpture to ceramics. This best-selling reference work is made in collaboration with the Bauhaus-Archiv/Museum für Gestaltung in Berlin, the world’s largest collection on the history of the Bauhaus. Some 575 illustrations including architectural plans, studies, photographs, sketches, and models record not only the realized works but also the leading principles and personalities of this idealistic creative community through its three successive locations in Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin. From informal shots of group gymnastics to drawings guided by Paul Klee, from extensive architectural plans to an infinitely sleek ashtray by Marianne Brandt, the collection brims with the colors, materials, and geometries that made up the Bauhaus vision of a “total” work of art. This is a defining account of Bauhaus' energy and rigor, not only as a trailblazing movement in Modernism but also as a paradigm of art education, where creative expression and cutting-edge ideas led to simultaneously functional and beautiful creations. The handy edition features artists Josef Albers, Marianne Brandt, Walter Gropius, Gertrud Grunow, Paul Klee, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lilly Reich, and many more. About the series Bibliotheca Universalis ― Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe!

Genres: Design, Architecture, Art, Nonfiction, History, Coffee Table Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[foteini_dl]

Ενδιαφέροντα κείμενα, ωραίες εικόνες, προσεγμένη έκδοση (γενικά), μέτρια μετάφραση. Κρίμα.

[danielle; ▵]

it seems I generally find Taschen books disappointing, and this one was no exception; I don’t have a good sense of Bauhaus after reading; I can’t understand why it remains worth knowing about; is the influence simply downstream of the thing itself? is it simply because of the people beyond the thing itself? having read the book, I don’t have a good sense of why Bauhaus matters

[Alan Fricker]

Interesting to compare with the other bauhaus book recently read (both gifts). The text is more serious and initially better but the translation seems to collapse as it goes on and it becomes a bit of a drag to read.

[Sarah Critchley]

Good foundational book about the Bauhaus and its cast of characters, and how the school and the people involved changed throughout its brief but momentous history.

[Fero]

Pekne fotky, ale preklad ako z Google Translatoru. Fakty odporucam hladat inde.

[Sophía]

2,5☆

[Katia]

First of all, the edition of 2021 has a lot of typos!
I was underwhelmed by this book because I expected from a book about a school of design to talk more about the actual design, but it turned out to be almost entirely the description of the management of the school, the classes’ organization and different internal conflicts among the staff throughout the years of its existence. Of course, I still have learnt something about Bauhaus from this book, but the focus of it is definitely not what I would want it to be on: the design itself is only touched briefly. Overall, I would probably not recommend this book, unless you want to learn about the historical environment surrounding the school, rather than about the school of design itself.

[Denise]

A good summary. Enough photos with enough text. Not overly detailed but not vague either. Towards the end the grammar fell apart in a few places. I learned a lot and now have a list of names to look up.

[Katarina Kasalova]

An interesting summary of the movement, I just wish it was translated better.

[Ron Bergquist]

Provides a quick, thorough, perspective on the evolution from start to finish. A clear exposition.

[Laure V]

La mauvaise traduction gâche le plaisir de lire, malgré la bonne mise en page et les superbes photos.

[Cambria]

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a great overview of the Bauhaus's history with great artworks and pictures. I will definitely read her longer book.

[Róbert Šedivý]

Nádherné spracovanie edície Taschen predchádza text, ktorý je pri najlepšej vôli statický. Inými slovami, dočítal som knihu, ktorá robila všetko preto, aby sa tak nestalo.

[Juliana Gómez]

Ideas sueltas sin conexión.
Escaso contexto y peor traducción!

[Alessandro Nicolai]

Manualetto veloce e con qualche nozione interessante

[armando librerías]

walter gropius eres el mejor gracias por tu legado te quiero

[Alba]

Libro más histórico que artístico. Interesante 🤔

[Ali]

another staple...

[Brian Kovesci]

A lovely overview of the school that brought me to DAAP. Thank you, Bauhaus.

[Víctor Neira Ruiz]

Brutal calidad de información, ordenada de una manera exquisita.

[SteveL]

A good introduction to Bauhaus.

[Bert Huisman]

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