5 Inspirational Women of the Bauhaus
Showcasing the innovative Bauhaus women who inspired our latest designs, found across our Women of Bauhaus Collection.
Our newest collection of designs celebrates the groundbreaking creative innovations of the Bauhaus weaving workshop. These new designs can be found covering our Women of Bauhaus Collection, a beautiful selection of Archive Boxes and Pencil Pots designed to keep your treasured items safe.
The Bauhaus was a radical school founded in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius who wanted to combine art and design practices to create pieces which were both functional and beautiful. The Bauhaus was designed to be a utopian craft guild combining architecture, furniture design and textile design with fine art practices such as painting and sculpture.
Although the school was founded on utopian principles of modern thought, women were still deemed to not have the mental capacity for some of the disciplines, like architecture, and were limited to traditionally ‘feminine’ disciplines, such as weaving.
Despite facing sexism from the Bauhaus’ teachers, the women of the weaving workshop used their resources to develop a unique visual language which radically altered the way textile art was viewed.
We’ve compiled a list of 5 Inspirational Weaving of the Bauhaus who have inspired our latest collection and continue to inform ola’s design practice today:
1. Anni Albers: Bauhaus’ leading female artist
Anni Albers - (Left) Black White Yellow 1926, courtesy of MoMA. (Right) Ancient Writing 1936, courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
“Anni’s inspirations ranged from the paintings of Modernist abstract artists such as Paul Klee, to the pre-Columbian textiles of Mexico and South America…”
One of the most well-known female artists of the Bauhaus, Anni Albers developed a distinctive visual language which combined hard geometric forms with a bold colour palette - a combination we’ve taken inspiration from in our latest collection.
Quickly becoming a master of the loom, she explored the possibilities of the grid to create disruptive abstract forms.
Her inspirations ranged from the paintings of Modernist abstract artists such as Paul Klee, to the pre-Columbian textile art of Mexico and South America, where she studied the traditional technique of backstrap weaving.
2. Gunta Stölzl: Textile pioneer
Gunta Stölzl - (Left) Textile Sample for Curtain, cellophane and cotton, 1927. (Right) Jacquard Wall Hanging Damast, 1930. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
“Gunta’s experimentations were pivotal in producing hard wearing, functional and beautiful everyday pieces…”
Gunta Stölzl was a pioneering textile artist whose colourful, complex designs quickly highlighted her as one of the most skilled weavers in the workshop.
Stölzl continually experimented with new materials and production methods, incorporating synthetic materials such as cellophane into her designs. These experimentations were pivotal in producing hard wearing, functional and beautiful everyday pieces.
3. Benita Koch-Otte: Weaving master
Benita Koch-Otte - Woven Wall Hanging, 1923–1924. Courtesy of MoMA.
Benita Koch-Otte’s considered approach to weaving led to her being recognised as one of the most proficient textile artists of the Bauhaus.
Not content with simply learning to control warp and weft to create her playful abstract designs, Koch-Otte delved into each aspect of the weaving process. Together with Stölzl, she enrolled in supplementary classes at the nearby Dyeing Technical School and Textile Technical School which allowed her to refine her practice further.
4. Gertrud Arndt: An innovative artist with timeless appeal
Gertrud Arndt - Bauhaus Carpet No.2, 1924. Courtesy of Bauhaus Movement.
Although best known for her self-portrait series Mask Portraits in which she performs a range of traditional female roles, Gertrud Arndt started her creative career in the Bauhaus weaving workshop.
While there, she created a series of rugs featuring a balanced composition made up of individually coloured squares. These rugs are still in production today - a demonstration of their timeless appeal.
5. Otti Berger: The first female Bauhaus patent holder
Otti Berger - Swatches of Drapery, Wallpaper and Upholstery Materials, 1919–1933. Courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago.
“Otti Berger’s creative legacy lives on in design practices today and our new pattern this season pays homage to her.”
Otti Berger’s creative legacy lives on in design practices today and our Otti pattern pays homage to her radical creativity. Her lyrical, abstract compositions combined minimal design with a subtle colour palette, creating textiles which still feel beautifully modern.
After studying in the weaving workshop, Berger became deputy head and was the first female Bauhaus artist to patent her own designs.
In 1932 she set up her own studio ‘Atelier for Textiles’ but was forced to shut the company down in 1936 due to persecution by the Nazis. Tragically, despite attempts to leave the country, Berger was sent to Auschwitz where she died.
Each of these Bauhaus women continually experimented with new methods of working, combining traditional techniques with modern materials to create textiles which were hardwearing, functional and beautiful. This synthesis of tradition and modernity is a key part of ola’s design principles and can be seen from our signature layflat binding technique to our locally sourced paper stocks.
Despite facing discrimination due to their gender, ethnicity or religion, the women of the Bauhaus weaving workshop pushed forward to demonstrate the power of the loom to create abstract, experimental compositions. Their work was pivotal in the evolution of modernist design and put textile artists firmly on the map.
The textiles produced by the women of the weaving workshop embody the Bauhaus belief of matching form with function – a belief woven throughout our new Women of Bauhaus Collection.