On 1 April, the Staatliches Bauhaus opens in Weimar with a manifesto by Walter Gropius: "The ultimate aim of all creative activity is the building." The school unites fine art and applied art, with a preliminary course (Vorkurs) led by Johannes Itten.
Initial faculty: Lyonel Feininger (print), Gerhard Marcks (sculpture), Paul Klee (bookbinding), and Itten (form and color theory).
The school adopts its emblem: a stylized head by Lyonel Feininger, symbolizing the unity of art, craft, and technology. The first public showing of student work takes place in Weimar.
Oskar Schlemmer joins to teach sculpture and stage design, introducing the "Triadic Ballet" experiments.
Itten's mystical Mazdaznan philosophy clashes with Gropius' vision. His departure marks a turn toward a more objective, constructivist approach.
Moholy-Nagy replaces Itten, introducing new materials like glass, metal, and photography. The preliminary course now emphasizes functional analysis and material experimentation.
Held at the Berlin Gallery, the exhibition presents furniture, textiles, ceramics, and typography. The public sees the Bauhaus as a radical new force in design.
Gropius publishes "Idee und Aufbau des Staatlichen Bauhauses Weimar," clarifying the school's pedagogical principles.
The "Haus am Horn," designed by Georg Muche, is the first Bauhaus building project. It embodies the school's ideals: functional, affordable, and aesthetically refined.
The exhibition includes work by Marcel Breuer, Josef Albers, and Herbert Bayer. Political pressure from Weimar's conservative government begins to mount.
Under pressure from the right-wing government, the Bauhaus closes in Weimar. Gropius negotiates a move to Dessau, where a new purpose-built campus is planned.
László Moholy-Nagy publishes "Malerei, Fotografie, Film," advocating for a new, technology-driven visual language.
The iconic Dessau campus-with its glass curtain walls, steel frame, and functionalist design-becomes a manifesto in architecture. The building houses workshops, classrooms, and a theater.
Josef Albers takes over the preliminary course, emphasizing material studies and color theory. The school's curriculum now includes architecture as a formal discipline.
Breuer's Wassily Chair (Model B3) and other tubular steel designs revolutionize furniture, combining lightness, strength, and mass production.
The Bauhaus Bücher series begins, with titles by Kandinsky ("Point and Line to Plane") and Klee ("Pedagogical Sketchbook").
The "Weissenhofsiedlung" exhibition, organized by the Werkbund, features 21 model homes by modernist architects, including Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. The Bauhaus contributes interiors and furnishings.
László Moholy-Nagy leaves for Berlin; Herbert Bayer becomes head of the printing and advertising workshop.
Gropius steps down to focus on private practice. Hannes Meyer, a Swiss architect, becomes the second director, emphasizing "the needs of the people" and scientific functionalism.
Under Meyer, the Bauhaus shifts toward social housing and standardized construction methods. The curriculum becomes more technical and politically engaged.
Meyer's leftist politics and clashes with Dessau officials lead to his dismissal. Mies van der Rohe, known for his minimalist architecture, takes over.
Mies streamlines the curriculum, focusing on architecture and industrial design. He famously declares, "Less is more."
Under pressure from the Nazi Party, the Dessau city council withdraws funding. Mies relocates the school to an abandoned telephone factory in Berlin-Steglitz, operating as a private school.
The Berlin period is marked by financial struggles and political hostility. The faculty includes Lilly Reich, Mies' collaborator in exhibition and furniture design.
The exhibition, "Bauhaus 1919-1932," showcases the school's achievements in architecture, design, and education. It is a defiant statement against the rising Nazi regime.
Mies designs the exhibition space, demonstrating the Bauhaus' mastery of spatial organization and material honesty.
On 20 July, the Bauhaus is officially dissolved by the Nazi government. Mies and other faculty, including Gropius, Breuer, and Moholy-Nagy, flee to the U.S., where they spread Bauhaus principles.
The legacy endures: the Bauhaus redefines modern design, education, and the role of the artist in industrial society. Its influence persists in institutions like the IIT Institute of Design (Chicago) and Black Mountain College (North Carolina).