Artesoires blog post, part two: History of modern industrial design: From Arts & Crafts to Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Bauhaus

The German Werkbund 1907–1933

In 1907, a diverse group of architects, artists, industrialists, journalists, and businesspeople founded the Deutscher Werkbund (German Association of Craftsmen) in Munich. Muthesius was also a member.

The aim was to improve the development and production of everyday objects through the interplay of art (design/aesthetics), craftsmanship (development/construction), and industry (serial production). Leading proponents of this idea included Peter Behrens and Henry van de Velde. The first Werkbund exhibition took place in Cologne in 1914. The exhibition ended earlier than planned due to the outbreak of the war.
World War I. A second exhibition, already planned for after the war, could not be realized due to a lack of funds. After World War II, the third exhibition finally took place in Cologne in 1949 under the titles "Good Design" and "New Living".

At the 1st Werkbund exhibition in 1914, a dispute arose between proponents of individual form and craftsmanship, and ultimately artistic freedom (van der Velde), and the supporters of standardization and champions of mass-produced goods (the so-called modernists Muthesius, Walter Gropius, etc.).  The latter were particularly opposed to ornamentation. The dispute initially went in favor of van de Velde's group. Many artists worked for wealthy clients. But after the end of World War I, many designers and architects turned to standardization , such as Peter Behrens and Richard Riemerschmid.

 

The Bauhaus 1919 – 1933

The Bauhaus was created through a merger of the art school and the school of arts and crafts established by Henry van de Velde in Weimar.

Initially , as with Arts and Crafts, the aim was a return to traditional, artisanal working methods. Therefore, training took place in workshops. The professors called themselves masters.

Citizens should have access to functional, modern, and aesthetically pleasing products that were also affordable . Through increasing openness to industry and industrial commissions, and a reorientation towards product design, the Bauhaus developed from 1925 onwards into the first internationally renowned school of design . Instead of art and craft, the focus shifted to art and technology. However, following Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933, the Bauhaus was dissolved. Besides its philosophy of a functional and minimalist aesthetic, the Bauhaus gained worldwide recognition, not least through its consistent application of new industrial manufacturing methods. The Bauhaus style is still referred to today.

Product examples: Salt and pepper shakers “Max and Moritz” by W. Wagenfeld or his lamp WG24 (1923/24).

Photo: The Masters' Houses in Dessau. This is where the masters, as the professors at the Bauhaus were called, lived.

Art Deco 1919 – 1939 (The 1920s and 1930s between the World Wars)

The term "Art Deco" has been used since a major trade fair, the "Exposition Internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes," which took place in Paris in 1925. Art Deco broke with the organic forms of Art Nouveau and introduced a more modern design language. The objects were now aimed at the rising middle class.

Photo: Coffee and tea service by Philippe Wolfers, 1927, Brussels.

The essential stylistic elements are geometric shapes, zigzags, symmetry, stylized motifs (abstraction of reality) and simplicity and clarity in the decor, especially in comparison to Art Nouveau.

The motif of sunbeams also appeared. Erwin Plönes' painting could therefore also have hung in an Art Deco room.

The concept of the “Gesamtkunstwerk” (see above), i.e. the overarching design of architecture and interior design, was adopted from Art Nouveau.

These stylistic elements were primarily applied in architecture and sculpture, as well as in product design for everyday objects such as dishes, cutlery, lamps, and furniture, but also in jewelry making . Cubist influences are often evident. Both handcrafted and industrial production methods were employed.

This is illustrated in Brussels. Here stands the largest Art Deco building in the world, the "Basilica of the Holy Heart" (Koekelberg) . At the same time, the "Basilica of the Holy Heart," as the name translates into German, is the 5th largest church in the world.  Other examples of Art Deco buildings in Brussels include the house and estate of the Dutch couple Alice and David van Buuren (Ukkel), the Villa Empain (Ixelles) or the Kaaitheater (Schaerbeek).

In the van Buuren family home, for example, you can see lamps and glass frames in the typical geometric style, or cutlery by Philippe Wolfers (1935). I particularly admired the Art Deco carpets by the Dutch designer Jaap Gidding. The sculptures displayed here, with their abstract forms, also perfectly reflect the Art Deco style, as exemplified by "De Knielende" by George Minne, who, incidentally, also has artworks in the Koekelberg Basilica.

Both the van Buuren couple and Philippe Wolfers and Jaap Gidding were inspired by the Paris World's Fair of 1925.

The Bauhaus, which existed at the same time as the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s, ultimately further reduced both the form and the decoration , and made the function of the product the standard.

Industrialization thus gave rise to a yearning for craftsmanship and various movements that strove for the artisanal production of applied arts, ultimately leading to the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus, in turn, opened itself to industry and modern industrial design.

 

After the Second World War

The design development quickly regained momentum.

Besides the Cologne art schools, the Ulm School of Design also follows the principles of the Bauhaus and pursues a rational and problem-solving approach. Geometric forms without ornamentation are paramount. One example is the collaboration with the designer Dieter Rams.

Well-known examples from the post-war period
The veneer chair 'Menzel' (1950s) was made of 29 glued layers of beech wood without screws; it was considered very stable.
Combination record player “Snow White’s Coffin” by Dieter Rams (1956), seating furniture such as the “Panton Chair” (1960),
Everyday objects from Alessi such as the “9091 Kettle” by Richard Sapper (1982) or the “Whistling Bird Tea Kettle” by Michael Graves (1985).

Designer pieces enjoy the aura of works of art and are – unsurprisingly – displayed in art or design museums.

Ultimately, the history of modern product design is the result of debates about the method of manufacture (craft or industrial production), the decoration (historicism, modernization of the design language), as well as the form and what it was based on (the prevailing decoration or the function).