Bauhaus Dessau celebrates 100 years: between tradition and modernity!

Bauhaus Dessau celebrates 100 years: between tradition and modernity!

In 2025, the Bauhaus in Dessau will be 100 years old, and this will be celebrated with a colorful program that is all about the Bauhaus ideals. The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation has teamed up with various partners to organize a series of exhibitions, conferences, workshops and festivals that highlight the rich heritage of this remarkable institution. Loud monopoly The planned events are firmly anchored under the motto “To the substance”. They focus on modern materials and their current relevance and bring art and design into a new context.

A very special highlight will be the connection between history and the present in several exhibitions. These reflect not only the arrival of the Bauhauslers in Dessau in 1925, but also the completion of the iconic Bauhaus building on December 4, 1926. In the seven years that the Bauhaus spent there, it experienced a heyday with many influential buildings - including the school building, the masters' houses and the historic employment office. Barbara Steiner, director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, emphasizes the importance of the collection and the Bauhaus buildings for the foundation and emphasizes the critical examination of the Bauhaus legacy.

Insights into the Bauhaus history

Parallel to these festivities, a series of events entitled “1925 – The Bauhaus Comes to Dessau” will start on January 28, 2025. For this purpose, the Cultural Office and the Dessau-Roßlau City Archives as well as the Bauhaus Foundation have joined forces. Monthly readings examine historical reports from newspapers and other sources, focusing on topics such as the aesthetic and political trends of the time. This series will take place at the Bauhaus Museum Dessau and other locations in the city and will be complemented by an accompanying exhibition of historical photographs.

In addition, schools are taking part in a creative project called “Cacti for Walter”, which starts in February 2025. Walter Gropius's interest in cacti is taken up here, and students are invited to create plants from various materials - a homage to Gropius's birthday in 1926. The workshops are led by Katrin Zickler and offer an excellent opportunity to transport the Bauhaus ideals into today.

The Bauhaus and its legacy

The Bauhaus, which was founded in Weimar in 1919 by Walter Gropius, has combined art and craft from the beginning and is considered the key to the ideas of modern architecture and design. The school existed until 1933 and continues to have a lasting influence on the global art, design and architecture scene today. With the founding of the Bauhaus in Dessau, the institution moved its headquarters to an up-and-coming industrial city, where it experienced its most productive phase. This history will now be examined as part of the anniversary program and critically examined what is important for today.

Overall, the anniversary program will address the central question of how socially and ecologically responsible design can be integrated into the reality of our lives today. This means that the Bauhaus remains not only a reflection of the past, but also a lively space for discussions about the future of design. For many visitors, creative people and interested parties, this celebration will be a valuable opportunity to engage with the legacy of the Bauhaus and to discover how these ideas still have an impact today.