The Weimar Princely Free Drawing School ( German : Fürstliche freie Zeichenschule Weimar ) was an art and literature educational establishment. It was set up in 1776 in Weimar by the scholar and ducal private-secretary Friedrich Justin Bertuch (1747–1822) and the painter Georg Melchior Kraus (1737–1806), as part of Weimar Classicism . It was financed by the young Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and heavily promoted by Goethe , who also taught there. Among its pupils were Charles Augustus's future mistress Karoline Jagemann . It lasted until 1930.
41-754: As Weimar's Geheimer Rat had oversight over the school from 1788 to 1832, it is not to be confused with the Großherzoglich-Sächsischen Kunstschule Weimar (set up in 1860), the original version of the Weimarer Kunsthochschule. The school's classrooms were originally housed in the Roten Schloss , moving into the Fürstenhaus in 1807 and later moving partly to the Esplanade and partly to
82-528: A dozen photographs of factories and grain elevators in North America. A very influential text, this article had a strong influence on other European modernists, including Le Corbusier and Erich Mendelsohn , both of whom reprinted Gropius's grain elevator pictures between 1920 and 1930. Gropius's career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I in 1914. He was drafted in August 1914 and served as
123-463: A faculty that included Paul Klee , Johannes Itten , Josef Albers , Herbert Bayer , László Moholy-Nagy , Otto Bartning and Wassily Kandinsky . In principle, the Bauhaus represented an opportunity to extend beauty and quality to every home through well designed industrially produced objects. The Bauhaus program was experimental and the emphasis was theoretical. One example product of the Bauhaus
164-734: A manifestation of his lifelong belief in the significance of teamwork, which he had already successfully introduced at the Bauhaus. Based in Cambridge, the original TAC partners included Norman C. Fletcher , Jean B. Fletcher , John C. Harkness , Sarah P. Harkness , Robert S. MacMillan , Louis A. MacMillen, and Benjamin C. Thompson . Among TAC's earliest works were two residential housing developments in Lexington, Massachusetts : Six Moon Hill and Five Fields . Each incorporated contemporary design ideas, reasonable cost, and practical thinking about how to support community life. Another early TAC work
205-531: A preparatory school. From 1870 to 1900, the students and teachers of the school turned away from the academic tradition of idealized compositions. Inspired by the Barbizon School , they went directly to nature for their inspiration, in genre as well as landscape painting. This approach set the school apart and attracted attention throughout Europe. In 1910, William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , in cooperation with Hans Olde (Director of
246-593: A sergeant major at the Western front during the war years (getting wounded and almost killed) and then as a lieutenant in the signal corps . Gropius was awarded the Iron Cross twice ("when it still meant something," he confided to his friend Chester Nagel) after fighting for four years. Gropius then, like his father and his great-uncle Martin Gropius before him, became an architect. Gropius's career advanced in
287-559: Is remembered not only by his various buildings but also by the district of Gropiusstadt in Berlin. In the early 1990s, a series of books entitled The Walter Gropius Archive was published covering his entire architectural career. The CD audiobook Bauhaus Reviewed 1919–33 includes a lengthy English Language interview with Gropius. Upon his death his widow, Ise Gropius, arranged to have his collection of papers divided into early and late papers. Both parts were photographed with funds provided by
328-650: Is the Graduate Center of Harvard University in Cambridge (1949/50). TAC would become one of the most well-known and respected architectural firms in the world before it closed its doors amidst financial problems in 1995. In 1967, Gropius was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1968. Gropius died on July 5, 1969, in Boston , Massachusetts, aged 86. He had been diagnosed with inflammation of
369-548: The Faguswerk in Alfeld-an-der-Leine, Germany , a shoe last factory. Although Gropius and Meyer only designed the facade, the glass curtain walls of this building demonstrated both the modernist principle that form reflects function and Gropius's concern with providing healthful conditions for the working class. The factory is now regarded as one of the crucial founding monuments of European modernism. Gropius
410-595: The New Objectivity movement, including a contribution to the Siemensstadt project in Berlin. Gropius left the Bauhaus in 1928 and moved to Berlin. Hannes Meyer took over the role of Bauhaus director. His work was also part of the architecture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics . The rise of Hitler in the 1930s would soon drive Gropius out of Germany. Before that, however, he did accept an invitation in early 1933 to compete for
451-577: The Royal Air Force in World War II . The research was to discover the most efficient way of setting fire to houses with incendiary bombs during bombing raids. The findings were used in planning raids such as the bombing of Hamburg in July 1943 . In 1945, Gropius was asked by the young founding members of The Architects Collaborative (TAC) to join as their senior partner. TAC represented
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#1732776571109492-803: The Thyssen Foundation . The late papers, relating to Gropius's career after 1937, and the photos of the early ones, then went to the Houghton Library at Harvard University; the early papers and photos of the late papers went to the Bauhaus Archiv, then in Darmstadt , since reestablished in Berlin. Mrs. Gropius also deeded the Gropius House in Lincoln to Historic New England in 1980, now a house museum. The Gropius House
533-709: The Art School), Adolf Brütt (Director of the Sculpture School) and Henry van de Velde (Director of the School of Arts & Crafts), joined the three schools to create the Großherzoglich Sächsische Hochschule für Bildende Kunst ("Grand-Ducal Saxon School for Fine Arts"), headed by Fritz Mackensen . The Art Nouveau art school building, designed by Henry van de Velde, was built between 1904 and 1911. Of particular note in
574-603: The Bauhaus philosophy in mind, every aspect of the homes and their surrounding landscapes was planned for maximum efficiency and simplicity. Gropius's house received a huge response and was declared a National Landmark in 2000. Gropius and his Bauhaus protégé Marcel Breuer both moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts , to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (1937–1952) and collaborate on projects including The Alan I W Frank House in Pittsburgh and
615-502: The Großen Jägerhaus. From 1824/25, under the oversight of custodian and painter Louise Seidler (1786–1866), it also housed the grand-ducal art collection. The foundation of the school is a clear indication of the rising interest in arts and crafts in court circles in the second half of 18th century. Its immediate main aim was to instruct local craftsmen in drawing, to sharpen their sense of aesthetics in consumables and in
656-716: The Harvard campus that were built in the 1950s. In 1944, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Gropius was one of several refugee German architects who provided information to confirm the typical construction of German houses to the RE8 research department set up by the British Air Ministry . This was used to improve the effectiveness of air raids on German cities by the Bomber Command of
697-750: The Master Houses (Meisterhäuser) (1925-1926) in Dessau, along with the Törten Housing Estate (Siedlung Dessau-Törten) which was built from 1926 to 1928. In 1927 he designed the Dessau City Employment office (Arbeitsamt), but left the Bauhaus and Dessau before construction began. The City Employment office was completed in 1929. He also designed large-scale housing projects in Berlin , Karlsruhe that were major contributions to
738-509: The approach developed at the Bauhaus. The Gropiuses believed their house could embody architectural qualities similar to those practiced today, such as simplicity, economy, and aesthetic beauty. Helen Storrow, a banker's wife and philanthropist, became Gropius's benefactor when she invested a portion of her land and wealth for the architect's home. She was so satisfied with the result that she gave more land and financial support to four other professors, two of whom Gropius designed homes for. With
779-672: The birthday of Charles Augustus. The school found a competitor in 1860 with the foundation of the Grossherzogliche Kunstschule , and from then until its dissolution in 1930 the school gave preparatory lessons for students entering the Kunstschule . Besides the directors, these figures also taught at the school: Sorted by class, its pupils included: Gro%C3%9Fherzoglich-S%C3%A4chsischen Kunstschule Weimar The Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School, Weimar (German: Großherzoglich-Sächsische Kunstschule Weimar )
820-532: The building's interior are the Oberlichtsaal (skylight hall), the elliptical staircase and the statue of Eve by Auguste Rodin . From 1919 to 1925 this building, and the neighbouring former Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts building (built 1905–1906), also designed by van de Velde, were used by the Bauhaus art school, which was founded by Walter Gropius . In 1996 both van de Velde buildings on
861-672: The company-town Aluminum City Terrace project in New Kensington , Pennsylvania, before their professional split. In 1938 he was appointed Chair of the Department of Architecture, a post he held until his retirement in 1952. Gropius also sat on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Visiting Committee at the end of his career. The well-known architect designed the Richards and Child residence halls on
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#1732776571109902-514: The design of the new Reichsbank building and submitted a detailed plan. He also designed furniture, cars, high-rise housing developments Siedlung and an unrealized Palace of the Soviets in Moscow . Gropius was able to leave Nazi Germany in 1934 with the help of Maxwell Fry on the pretext of making a temporary visit to Italy for a film propaganda festival; he then fled to Britain to avoid
943-635: The fascist powers of Europe. Although not Jewish, his association with "degenerate" modern art despised by the Nazis meant he was obliged to emigrate when commissions dried up. He lived and worked in the artists' community associated with Herbert Read in Hampstead , London, as part of the Isokon group. Gropius arrived in the United States in February 1937, while their twelve-year-old daughter, Ati, finished
984-558: The firm The Architects Collaborative , of which he was a founding partner. In 1959, he won the AIA Gold Medal , one of the most prestigious awards in architecture. Born in Berlin , Walter Gropius was the third child of Walter Adolph Gropius and Manon Auguste Pauline Scharnweber (1855–1933), daughter of the Prussian politician Georg Scharnweber [ de ] (1816–1894). Walter's great-uncle Martin Gropius (1824–1880)
1025-412: The glands, and was admitted to hospital on 7 June. After an operation was performed successfully on 15 June, there was hope of a full recovery. Gropius described himself as a "tough old bird", and continued to make progress for about a week. However, his lungs became congested and could not supply proper amounts of oxygen to the blood and brain. He lost consciousness, and died in his sleep. Today, Gropius
1066-484: The longer term to increase the quality of production in handcrafts. In order to disseminate art, taste and a sense of beauty to as wide a public as possible, the lessons and living quarters were open to all classes and both sexes. It was an important place for the discovery and promotion of new talent and drew many artists into the orbit of Weimar Classicism and its " Musenhof ". To complete its pupils' knowledge and artistic talents by comparison and copying, from 1809
1107-481: The most influential designs to emerge from Bauhaus. Facing political and financial difficulties in Weimar, Gropius and the Bauhaus moved to Dessau in 1925 following an offer from the city. Gropius designed the new Bauhaus Dessau school building in 1925–26 on commission from the city of Dessau. He collaborated with Carl Fieger , Ernst Neufert and others within his private architectural practice. Gropius also designed
1148-455: The office of the renowned architect and industrial designer Peter Behrens , one of the first members of the utilitarian school. His fellow employees at this time included Ludwig Mies van der Rohe , Le Corbusier , and Dietrich Marcks. Gropius left the firm of Behrens in 1910 and established a practice in Berlin with fellow employee Adolf Meyer . Together they share credit for one of the pioneering modernist buildings created during this period:
1189-597: The orphaned daughter of Ise's sister Hertha. Ise Gropius died on 9 June 1983 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Walter's sister Manon Burchard (1880–1975) is the great-grandmother of the German film and theater actresses Marie Burchard and Bettina Burchard [ de ] , and of the curator and art historian Wolf Burchard . In 1908, after studying architecture in Munich and Berlin for four semesters, Gropius joined
1230-550: The postwar period. Henry van de Velde , the master of the Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts in Weimar was asked to step down in 1915 due to his Belgian nationality. His recommendation for Gropius to succeed him led eventually to Gropius's appointment as master of the school in 1919. It was this academy which Gropius transformed into the world-famous Bauhaus (a.k.a. Gropius School of Arts), attracting
1271-499: The school also developed its own collection of major paintings, giving exhibitions from 1809, which were generally housed from 1824/25 in the Grossen Jägerhaus . From 1837 the dissolved grand-ducal art collection was also put at the school's disposal. The school's first annual exhibition, for the pupils to display their work publicly, was in 1779. The prize related to the exhibition was traditionally awarded on 3 September,
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1312-698: The school year in England. The house the Gropiuses built for themselves in 1938 in Lincoln, Massachusetts (now known as Gropius House ) was influential in bringing International Modernism to the US, but Gropius disliked the term: "I made it a point to absorb into my own conception those features of the New England architectural tradition that I found still alive and adequate." In designing his house, Gropius used
1353-584: The site, which are now used by the Bauhaus University Weimar , were included as part of the Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau World Heritage site. By date of appointment. Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School , who is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture . He
1394-485: Was a founder of Bauhaus in Weimar and taught there for several years, becoming known as a leading proponent of the International Style . Gropius emigrated from Germany to England in 1934 and from England to the United States in 1937, where he spent much of the rest of his life teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design . In the United States he worked on several projects with Marcel Breuer and with
1435-788: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and is now available to the public for tours. Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv in the White City recognizes the greatest concentration of Bauhaus buildings in the world. In 1959, he received the AIA Gold Medal . On May 17, 2008, Google Doodle commemorated Walter Gropius' 125th birthday. In 1996, the Bauhaus Building and the Master Houses were added to list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . NB: The building in Niederkirchnerstraße , Berlin known as
1476-476: Was an influence on him at that time. In 1920, the Bauhaus was given its first major commission that would utilize almost all of the workshops in the school. This commission was for a house for Adolf Sommerfeld made from wood. The architectural designs for the house came from Gropius and Adolf Meyer. The Sommerfeld House was completed in 1921. In 1923, Gropius designed his famous door handles, now considered an icon of 20th-century design and often listed as one of
1517-525: Was born in 1916. When Manon died of polio at age 18, in 1935, composer Alban Berg wrote his Violin Concerto in memory of her (it is inscribed "to the memory of an angel"). Gropius and Mahler divorced in 1920 (She had by that time established a relationship with Franz Werfel , whom she later married). Gropius married Ilse Frank, known as Ise, on 16 October 1923; they remained together until his death in 1969. The couple adopted Beate Frank known as Ati ,
1558-804: Was commissioned in 1913 to design a car for the Prussian Railroad Locomotive Works in Königsberg . This locomotive was unique and the first of its kind in Germany and perhaps in Europe. Other works of this early period include the office and factory building for the Werkbund Exhibition (1914) in Cologne . Gropius published an article about "The Development of Industrial Buildings" in 1913, which included about
1599-533: Was founded on 1 October 1860, in Weimar , Germany, by a decree of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach . It existed until 1910, when it merged with several other art schools to become the Großherzoglich Sächsische Hochschule für Bildende Kunst ("Grand-Ducal Saxon School for Fine Arts"). It should not be confused with the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School , which existed from 1776 to 1930 and, after 1860, served as
1640-541: Was the architect of the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin and a follower of Karl Friedrich Schinkel , with whom Walter's great-grandfather Carl Gropius, who fought under Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the Battle of Waterloo, had shared a flat as a bachelor. In 1915, Gropius married Alma Mahler (1879–1964), widow of Gustav Mahler . Walter and Alma's daughter, named Manon after Walter's mother,
1681-614: Was the armchair F 51, designed for the Bauhaus's directors room in 1920 – nowadays a re-edition in the market, manufactured by the German company TECTA/Lauenfoerde. In 1919, Gropius was involved in the Glass Chain utopian expressionist correspondence under the pseudonym "Mass." Usually more notable for his functionalist approach, the Monument to the March Dead , designed in 1919 and executed in 1920, indicates that expressionism