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Bauhausmädels. A Tribute to Pioneering Women Artists
Feminists of the Weimar Era
The Bauhaus' early pioneers of gender equality
Celebrating the centennial of a groundbreaking school of art and design, this volume marks the founding of the Bauhaus with an unprecedented exploration of its most underrated members. While the institution provided women with new opportunities in education, along the way they were forced to deal with unreasonable family expectations, the ambiguous attitude of the faculty and administration, outdated social conventions, and ultimately the political repression of the Nazi regime.
Women of the Bauhaus assembles recent archival discoveries, including portraits published for the very first time, alongside 78 biographies, rendering this a definitive pictorial overview of their artistic and design work and legacy. The artists and artisans celebrated here include the designer, photographer, painter, sculptor, and first woman to be admitted to the Bauhaus metalworking program Marianne Brandt, whose designs of lamps, ashtrays, and other household objects are used by Alessi to this day; Gertrud Arndt who, dissuaded by the faculty from studying architecture, instead shone through her photography and rug design; and Grete Reichardt, whose abstract textile design led to later experiments with new fibers, fabrics, and industrial materials.
Full-page illustrations document the significant innovations and achievements of these trailblazers, while the text sheds light on both the struggles they encountered during their careers, and their incredible accomplishments regardless. Gathering these artists' sense of modernity, persistence in the face of adversity, and fight for women's emancipation, this collection is a celebration of how far we have come, and a striking reminder of how far there is yet to go.
Text in English French, and German
The Bauhaus' early pioneers of gender equality
Celebrating the centennial of a groundbreaking school of art and design, this volume marks the founding of the Bauhaus with an unprecedented exploration of its most underrated members. While the institution provided women with new opportunities in education, along the way they were forced to deal with unreasonable family expectations, the ambiguous attitude of the faculty and administration, outdated social conventions, and ultimately the political repression of the Nazi regime.
Women of the Bauhaus assembles recent archival discoveries, including portraits published for the very first time, alongside 78 biographies, rendering this a definitive pictorial overview of their artistic and design work and legacy. The artists and artisans celebrated here include the designer, photographer, painter, sculptor, and first woman to be admitted to the Bauhaus metalworking program Marianne Brandt, whose designs of lamps, ashtrays, and other household objects are used by Alessi to this day; Gertrud Arndt who, dissuaded by the faculty from studying architecture, instead shone through her photography and rug design; and Grete Reichardt, whose abstract textile design led to later experiments with new fibers, fabrics, and industrial materials.
Full-page illustrations document the significant innovations and achievements of these trailblazers, while the text sheds light on both the struggles they encountered during their careers, and their incredible accomplishments regardless. Gathering these artists' sense of modernity, persistence in the face of adversity, and fight for women's emancipation, this collection is a celebration of how far we have come, and a striking reminder of how far there is yet to go.
Text in English French, and German
- GenresArt HistoryBiography
480 pages, Hardcover
Published May 6, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 4, 2023
I have realized I'm Bauhausmädel chic, and my German ancestry finally makes sense.
These artists are phenomenal, having lived truly fascinating lives with interdisciplinary approaches, and so many of their included self-portraits are stunning. What an absolute treasure trove of a book and a significant milestone for the study of women within art history. I think Bauhaus might easily become my third favorite movement to research (after Impressionism and the Bloomsbury Group)—so emancipatory in its ideals yet also so hypocritical in its practice and segregation of the genders (ex. women were typically restricted to weaving, ceramics, and acceptably "feminine" mediums).
It is a tragedy that many of these women perished due to deportation to concentration camps or air raids. May they rest in peace and their memory be honored more and more.
These artists are phenomenal, having lived truly fascinating lives with interdisciplinary approaches, and so many of their included self-portraits are stunning. What an absolute treasure trove of a book and a significant milestone for the study of women within art history. I think Bauhaus might easily become my third favorite movement to research (after Impressionism and the Bloomsbury Group)—so emancipatory in its ideals yet also so hypocritical in its practice and segregation of the genders (ex. women were typically restricted to weaving, ceramics, and acceptably "feminine" mediums).
It is a tragedy that many of these women perished due to deportation to concentration camps or air raids. May they rest in peace and their memory be honored more and more.
August 22, 2025
This is a beautiful inspiring book. Having just watched the TV production Bauhaus:A New Era, I am baffled that Dörte Helm is not included in this comprehensive compilation of the Bauhaus women.
December 2, 2024
Excelente livro para descobrir algumas das alunas e artistas da escola de Bauhaus, antes da segunda guerra mundial, talvez completamente desconhecidas fora da Alemanha.
Analisando o percurso das mulheres aqui biografadas à luz da época em que viveram há casos surpreendentes de rebeldia, de persistência e de independência, de carreiras de sucesso nas áreas das artes nas quais se formaram, assim como muitos, nada surpreendentes, de desistência para assumirem o papel das mulheres de família dos colegas artistas.
Algumas das histórias fazem ter vontade de saber um pouco mais sobre as famílias de onde vieram ou então querer saber mais detalhes sobre o que fizeram no campo artístico. Não sei se houve limitações na pesquisa ou se simplesmente não dava para introduzir mais conteúdo.
Analisando o percurso das mulheres aqui biografadas à luz da época em que viveram há casos surpreendentes de rebeldia, de persistência e de independência, de carreiras de sucesso nas áreas das artes nas quais se formaram, assim como muitos, nada surpreendentes, de desistência para assumirem o papel das mulheres de família dos colegas artistas.
Algumas das histórias fazem ter vontade de saber um pouco mais sobre as famílias de onde vieram ou então querer saber mais detalhes sobre o que fizeram no campo artístico. Não sei se houve limitações na pesquisa ou se simplesmente não dava para introduzir mais conteúdo.
November 11, 2020
I didn´t properly read it completely, but I enjoyed it a lot and I wanted to have it here.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews