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player ready...This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of influential German design school Bauhaus. While the school itself only lasted about a dozen years, moving twice before the Nazis ultimately pressured it into closing, its modernist, clean-line aesthetic still resonates today in everything from furniture design to art and architecture.
Chicago has a special connection with the school. Bauhaus faculty member Laszlo Moholy-Nagy moved to the city in 1937 and set up the New Bauhaus on Prairie Avenue, which lasted about a year. He went on to start the Institute of Design, which ultimately became part of the Illinois Institute of Technology. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the last director of the Bauhaus in Germany, became head of architecture at IIT and designed its campus.
In other words, if you’re looking for ways to celebrate this anniversary, you don’t have to look very far. There are celebrations across the world, from Germany where it all started, to Elmhurst Art Museum’s “The Whole World a Bauhaus” exhibit which goes on until April 20.
But probably the best way to celebrate: Bring these elegant designs created by its students and faculty home. They look as fresh in 2019 as they did in 1919. And how many 100-year-olds can say that? From ashtrays to lamps to watches, the Bauhaus influence means that you don’t ever have to worry about going out of style.
Chris LaMorte is a freelance writer.