Bauhaus, which means “building house”  or “School of building” was a design movement in Germany from 1919-1933 that focused on “the needs of the people instead of the need for luxury.” The movement’s radical thinking spawned amid rising anxiety towards mass manufacturing, sucking the “soul” out of products and fears that art was losing social relevance as a whole. Bauhaus is most known for leveling the hierarchy of art that stemmed from the Renaissance by fusing the applied arts (architecture, industrial design, interior design, textiles, woodwork) with fine/visual arts (paintings and sculpture), bringing them all under one “Total” arts roof. Bauhaus’ design philosophy harmonized product functionality and form (aesthetics), not distinguishing between the two. It sought to radically simplify products for mass production without compromising artistic spirit and intent.

The Bauhaus movement impacted design across many fields with a shared fastidiousness towards the future. For decades after its closing, Bauhaus inspired the fashion industry to drive elegance in minimalism via the use of simple geometric shapes and patterns in primary color combinations. It is well known for influencing Steve Job’s approach to product development at Apple.

Featured in the photos is a Barcelona Chair ( Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, 1929) designed during the Bauhaus movement. Via Cleveland Museum of Art.