The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism

My rating:

add to my books

The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism

by Nicholas Fox Weber

3.50 · rating details · 26 ratings · 11 reviews

Nicholas Fox Weber, for thirty-three years head of the Albers Foundation, spent many years with Anni and Josef Albers, the only husband-and-wife artistic pair at the Bauhaus (she was a textile artist; he a professor and an artist, in glass, metal, wood, and photography). The Alberses told him their own stories and described life at the Bauhaus with their fellow artists and...moreNicholas Fox Weber, for thirty-three years head of the Albers Foundation, spent many years with Anni and Josef Albers, the only husband-and-wife artistic pair at the Bauhaus (she was a textile artist; he a professor and an artist, in glass, metal, wood, and photography). The Alberses told him their own stories and described life at the Bauhaus with their fellow artists and teachers, Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, as well these figures’ lesser-known wives and girlfriends.

In this extraordinary group biography, Weber brilliantly brings to life the Bauhaus geniuses and the community of the pioneering art school in Germany’s Weimar and Dessau in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Here are:
Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus, the architect who streamlined design early in his career and who saw the school as a place for designers to collaborate in an ideal setting . . . a dashing hussar, the ardent young lover of the renowned femme fatale Alma Mahler, beginning when she was the wife of composer Gustav Mahler . . .
Paul Klee, the onlooker, smoking his pipe, observing Bauhaus dances as well as his colleagues’ lectures from the back of the room . . . the cook who invented recipes and threw together his limited ingredients with the same spontaneity, sense of proportion, and fascination that underscored his paintings . . .
Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian-born pioneer of abstract painting, guarding a secret tragedy one could never have guessed from his lively paintings, in which he used bold colors not just for their visual vibrancy, but for their “sound” effects . . .
Josef Albers, who entered the Bauhaus as a student in 1920 and was one of the seven remaining faculty members when the school was closed by the Gestapo in 1933 . . .
Annelise Else Frieda Fleischmann, a Berlin heiress, an intrepid young woman, who later, as Anni Albers, made art the focal point of her existence . . .
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, imperious, decisive, often harsh, an architect who became director—the last—of the Bauhaus, and the person who guided the school’s final days after SS storm troopers raided the premises.

Weber captures the life, spirit, and flair with which these geniuses lived, as well as their consuming goal of making art and architecture. A portrait infused with their fulsome embrace of life, their gift for laughter, and the powerful force of their individual artistic personalities.(less)

Hardcover, 544 pages

Published October 27th 2009 by Knopf (first published 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 75)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 01, 2010

Tony rated it

Shelves: art

Weber, Nicholas Fox. THE BAUHAUS GROUP: Six Masters of Modernism. (2009). ****. You should be warned that this is a dense book, obviously well-researched by the author. You should also know that the members of this school were living, breathing, rutting people, and the author makes sure that most of the amorous alliances are fully presented. Most of the author’s information came from Anni and Josef Albers, the only husband-and-wife artist pair at the Bauhaus. The word “Bauhaus” means a h...moreWeber, Nicholas Fox. THE BAUHAUS GROUP: Six Masters of Modernism. (2009). ****. You should be warned that this is a dense book, obviously well-researched by the author. You should also know that the members of this school were living, breathing, rutting people, and the author makes sure that most of the amorous alliances are fully presented. Most of the author’s information came from Anni and Josef Albers, the only husband-and-wife artist pair at the Bauhaus. The word “Bauhaus” means a house of building or house of construction. It was applied to the school started in the early 1920s by Walter Gropius, an architect whose intent it was to ally art and architecture with modern materials. His motto was: “Form follows function.” Gropius had an interesting history. He was an architect who enjoyed some modest success in his field, and managed to find backers for his idea for a school. During WW I, he was a Hussar, fighting on the French front. Wounded several times, he was awarded the Iron Cross, 1st Class. This didn’t hurt his chances at entry into the upper echelons of society after the war was over. What was fascinating about Gropius, however, was his active love life. He was the lover of Alma Mahler, while she was still the wife of Gustav, and the two openly competed for her favors. Today she would have been branded a tart or a slut, but being married to Gustav gave her a prestige that allowed for certain leeways in extra-marital behavior. When Mahler died, she took up more actively with Gropius, but soon cast her eyes on Franz Werfel. She had Werfel’s child while continuing to see Gropius. She was like an early 20th century Paris Hilton. This section on Gropius is worth the price of the book in itself, since it provides little known information on Gustav Mahler, Sigmund Freud, Franz Werfel, and other prominent Austrians of the day. A student/teacher at the school was Paul Klee. His participation in the Bauhaus movement is still a little murky in my mind as he tended to off in his own directions after dealing with the other members more on a social level. Other students and/or teachers involved in the school and in the movement itself include Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian-born pioneer of abstract painting; Josef Albers, a man who entered the Bauhaus as a student in 1920, and was one of the seven remaining faculty members when the school was closed down in 1933 by the Gestapo; Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, an imperious and stern architect who was the last director of the Bauhaus, and the one who guided the school’s final days after SS storm troopers raided the premises. You gain an appreciation of what the school’s mandate was during its years of activity, though you don’t necessarily grow to like their products. They made their mark in the world of – primarily – design, design as it applied to architecture, furniture, cloth, and decorative art. Recommended.(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

May 17, 2011

Liam rated it

"'We prefer good machinery to bad art.'" (quoting Josef Albers, xiii)

"The muddiness created by governments could be tempered by the luster of polished chrome. The emotional anxieties generated by militarism and inflation formed a compost that nourished a passion for a stability derived from visual harmony." (33)

"'The more horrifying this world becomes (as it is these days) the more art becomes abstract; while a world a peace produces realistic art.'"...more

· see review

May 27, 2010

Patrick Sprunger rated it

Recommends it for: people who want to know where Ikea came from

Shelves: read-in-2010, general-nonfiction

Nicholas Fox Weber personally spent a lot of time with the Alberses (Josef and Anni), acted as executor of Anni Albers's estate, observed the couple's eccentric experience with American consumer culture, and mitigated their sometimes petulant attitude toward other people. There probably isn't a better American suited to compile a few short biographies of some of the core Bauhauslers, because few Americans probably understand the nuance and inconsistency within the Bauhaus itself.

Mr....moreNicholas Fox Weber personally spent a lot of time with the Alberses (Josef and Anni), acted as executor of Anni Albers's estate, observed the couple's eccentric experience with American consumer culture, and mitigated their sometimes petulant attitude toward other people. There probably isn't a better American suited to compile a few short biographies of some of the core Bauhauslers, because few Americans probably understand the nuance and inconsistency within the Bauhaus itself.

Mr. Weber's approach is very intuitive. He employs different styles, depending on his subject. His description of Walther Gropius is gossipy and political - because Gropius revolved in a fast orbit of high drama and was the cementing force behind the Bauhaus. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe receives similar treatment - the style is as apt for studying titans of finance or industry as titans of architecture. By contrast, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky are treated like dalai lamas or suffering saints. Anni Albers's portrait is complex and personal and Josef Albers's brain is explained more than the man. Explaining how an ordinary, working class origin complemented visionary attitudes about color and proportion is the best way to summarize the Bauhaus itself.

Had Weber arranged his anthology in this order, it would flow with a sensible rhythm. Instead, he grows increasingly anachronistic as the book progresses, almost like he's trying to channel the progression of the artist's disease. Anni Albers' narrative is a blink comparitor toggling between Nazi Germany and the gluttonous art society of 1980s New York. Somehow, in the process, readers manage to get a comprehensive sense of the Bauhaus. So, I suppose cheers are in order.

The question is whether such an eccentric approach isn't a sort of irony. Weber took the single most inefficient route toward informing his readers, literally the polar opposite of the way Klee or the Alberses would bring their viewers to enlightenment.

The Bauhaus Group is tedious at times; it is indecisive about whether it wants to talk about the artists' ideas, social impact, or history. In nearly 500 pages of narrative, there is room to cover all of that if an author truly wanted to. The somewhat intangible objection of the Nazi party to the Bauhaus is a fascinating question, and the reader has to find his own conclusion - because the conclusion is not to be found in the book.

I'm out of step with the world of art history. It was neither my major nor minor in college, and I had only a few upper level classes (mostly concerning contemporary art, after 1945). The Bauhaus Group may be de rigueur among the art history genre. I recall my art history professors' rather murky understanding of actual, non-art history. Maybe the culture of the discipline is one that can't be bothered with the petty business of understanding how a thing fits in a larger matrix. If so, perhaps the peculiar editorial processes Mr. Weber has chosen do not constitute failure. However, a casual reader will find inherent challenges with The Bauhaus Group; it doesn't conform to the style of other history and nonfiction monographs. I'm glad I read it, but I'm also glad I'm done reading it.

(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 16, 2010

Canfield rated it

Great subject lots of flaccid gossip but he can't write. The book has all the earmarks of a word processor on steroids too much trivia without clear story line jumping around in different places and times.Very interesting moments but Edit it ! and enough about the author and his personal life with the Albers, Isn't that a separate book ? How could he write this book after finishing his Corbu book only a year earlier ??? Slow done and get some flow, more pictures that are on the same page with ...more

· see review

Feb 21, 2010

Margaret rated it

Sometimes his preference for AA stands through a bit too much, but great insight into the characters of bauhaus.

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 19, 2010

Bill rated it

Sadly, this book was a horrible read, and I couldn't even finish it. I got about 300 pages in, and decided that I just couldn't take anymore. Its only saving grace is the extremely interesting subject matter, but if you are interested in learning about the Bauhaus school, I would turn else where. The book is set up as a series of biographies of 6 artists: Gropius, Klee, Kandinsky, Josef and Anni Albers and van der Rohe. The biographies are each written in a different style based on the subje...more

· see review

Dec 27, 2009

Carol rated it

Not always the best writing, but Fox Weber was friends with two Bauhaslers (as they were called) -- Josef Albers and Anni Albers. His involvement in Anni Albers story provides an interesting female perspective on the famous German design school (although she would probably swat at me for saying that).

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 25, 2011

Mrs. Crane rated it

Not as exciting as I anticipated. I expected the story of The Bauhaus Group to be as riveting as Peggy Guggenheims "Art Lover" or Frederick Kaisler's "Art of this Century", instead it was excruciatingly boring. I did however, enjoy reading about Gropius, Klee and Kandisnky's lives, but somehow I knew that once the author got to the Albers' life the gossip wouldn't be as juicy, since most of the recollections came from Annie Albers and Josef themselves, and they were mar...more

· see review

Feb 03, 2010

Dagmar Cunningham rated it

Anyone interested in the origins of modern art and architecture should read this. Since the author was personal friends with Bauhaus artists (Albers), the impressions are more direct.

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 17, 2010

Melissa rated it

Another art book, interesting from an historical aspect, but didn't care for the philosophy of the group's members. Very elitist attitude.

· see review

Dec 30, 2010

Carol rated it

Shelves: art-history

Love Bauhaus and this book was great. Always thought Joseph Albes was a genius. Now I know that so was his wife, Anni. Very personal stories. Also bios on Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandisky and Ludwig Mies van deer Rohe.

· see review

Jan 28, 2012

Danielle marked it as to-read

Jan 08, 2012

Kate marked it as to-read

Shelves: doorstops, biography, art, architecture, history, 20th-century-history, germany, recommended-by-a-friend, 20th-century-lives, book-judged-by-cover-to-be-awesome

Dec 31, 2011

Vivienne Strauss is currently reading it

Dec 02, 2011

Kori marked it as to-read

Nov 21, 2011

sarah rated it

Nov 03, 2011

Lee-Arng marked it as to-read

Oct 26, 2011

Dyer Weed marked it as to-read

Sep 24, 2011

Less_cunning marked it as checking-out-at-the-library

Aug 25, 2011

Xin Gu added it

Shelves: modernism

Aug 14, 2011

Nick Dubaz added it

Jul 28, 2011

Ann Andrew is currently reading it

Sep 26, 2011

Publicartglo marked it as to-read

Jul 26, 2011

Kayla is currently reading it

Jul 03, 2011

Kris rated it

Jun 09, 2011

Mark added it

Jun 03, 2011

Boyd rated it

Aug 14, 2011

Sarah marked it as to-read

Feb 22, 2011

Amanda marked it as to-read

Shelves: adult-non-fiction, art

Feb 16, 2011

J rated it

« previous 1 2 3 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Genres

Art

3 users

See top shelves...

Books by Nicholas Fox Weber

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About The Bauhaus Group...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Bauhaus Group: Six...

“[The Bauhauslers] were joined in their will to replace outmoded values for everyone, rather than to retreat to alternate lives for themselves alone. They were not revolutionaries who wanted to topple the existing framework, but pioneers who sought to transform it. The Bauhauslers respected what was best in the existing German culture; they did not unilaterally disparage all its traditions. They wanted to forge connections, to see their ways accepted and integrated. (362)” — 1 person liked it

“Artists who shared (Paul) Klee's fundamental beliefs, such as (Piet) Mondrian, were searching for universal truths, often derived from nature and having "all-mighty power." For some, a traditional notion of God was part of this; for others, it was of no consequence. What mattered was not the precise character of the object of worship, but the shared belief in its superiority to the cult of self. (104)” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism
avg rating	preview: The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism Goodreads rating: 3.50 (26 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015291-the-bauhaus-group?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320410534m/7015291.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7015291-the-bauhaus-group?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism by Nicholas Fox Weber[/url]

The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Genres

Books by Nicholas Fox Weber

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Bauhaus Group...

Quotes from The Bauhaus Group: Six...

new topic
Discuss This Book