Form Follows Vision: 10 Iconic Designs from the Bauhaus Movement

Between 1919 and 1933, a small but radical school in Germany forever changed the course of design history. The Bauhaus, founded by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, aimed to reunite art, craft, and technology. Its guiding principle was that design should serve society and the modern age—beauty and function were not separate but intrinsically linked. Through a curriculum that fused theory with hands-on practice, students and masters alike explored architecture, textiles, metalwork, stage design, and graphic arts.

With leading figures like Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, László Moholy-Nagy, Josef and Anni Albers, and later Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Bauhaus became a crucible for experimentation. Though the school was eventually shuttered under Nazi pressure in 1933, its ideas spread worldwide, profoundly influencing design, architecture, and art education.

The following 10 pieces, created by Bauhaus artists and designers, embody the spirit of this influential movement.

1. Humanly Impossible (Self-Portrait) by Herbert Bayer

This haunting photomontage by Herbert Bayer features the artist with one arm visually removed—a stark, surreal composition that critiques dehumanization in modern society. Bayer was a master of graphic design and typography, and one of the Bauhaus’ leading minds in visual communication. After studying under Kandinsky and Moholy-Nagy, he directed the Bauhaus’ printing and advertising workshop. This work extended Bauhaus principles of clarity and conceptual boldness into a personal, psychological realm.

2. Slit Tapestry by Max Peiffer Watenphul

A lyrical blend of structure and softness, this woven piece by Max Peiffer Watenphul embodies the Bauhaus’ commitment to textiles as a fine art form. The “slit” technique reveals the loom’s logic while maintaining a decorative rhythm. Though Peiffer Watenphul is better known for his later painting, his early Bauhaus years under Itten and Klee were marked by explorations in color theory and materiality. This tapestry reflects the movement’s push to elevate craft traditions to modern relevance.

3. Light Prop for an Electric Stage by László Moholy-Nagy

An early kinetic sculpture and light machine, this mesmerizing device by László Moholy-Nagy and Woodie G. Flowers (the producer) was designed to project moving shadows onto a stage. Composed of rotating perforated discs and reflective surfaces, it turned light into a performative element. A visionary teacher at the Bauhaus, Moholy-Nagy championed the use of industrial materials and technology in art. This piece illustrates his fascination with movement, light, and the integration of design and performance.

4. Weissenhof Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe & Lilly Reich

A masterpiece of modernist furniture, the Weissenhof Chair was created by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in collaboration with Lilly Reich, a key but often underacknowledged figure in Bauhaus-era design. Designed for the influential Weissenhof Estate exhibition in Stuttgart, the chair uses a cantilevered steel frame—a technical innovation that visually “floats” the seat without back legs. Upholstered in simple fabric or leather, it embodies the Bauhaus mantra of functional elegance. While Mies would lead the Bauhaus in its final years, Reich played a vital role in his studio and exhibitions, contributing to both design and display strategies. This chair captures the movement’s faith in industrial materials and the merging of aesthetic clarity with everyday utility.

5. Poster for the Bauhaus Exhibition in Weimar by Joost Schmidt

A masterclass in Bauhaus graphic design, this poster by Joost Schmidt uses bold geometry, asymmetry, and modern typography to reflect the movement’s ideals. Schmidt taught sculpture and later led the typography workshop. His work here goes beyond mere advertisement—it visually communicates the Bauhaus philosophy of unity between text and image, art and utility. This poster helped define the visual language of modern graphic design.

6. Pendant Light by Marianne Brandt & Hans Przyrembel

Simple, sleek, and resolutely modern, this pendant lamp embodies the Bauhaus’ ideal of useful beauty. Marianne Brandt, a rare woman in the metal workshop, worked alongside Hans Przyrembel to create lighting solutions using industrial materials like glass and nickel-plated brass. Brandt’s designs, including this one, are praised for their precision and elegance. She was instrumental in redefining domestic objects as modernist sculptures.

7. Moccha Machine by Theodor Bogler

At first glance, this ceramic coffee pot might seem modest. But Theodor Bogler’s Moccha Machine fuses form and function in a distinctly Bauhaus way. Designed in the ceramics workshop at the Bauhaus satellite in Dornburg, it features clean lines and standardized components for reproducibility. Bogler, trained in architecture and ceramics, sought to bring industrial rationality to everyday objects—a hallmark of Bauhaus design.

8. Park by Josef Albers

An early abstract glasswork composition by Josef Albers, Park reflects his exploration of spatial relationships through shape and color. While better known for his later Homage to the Square series, Albers began at the Bauhaus as both student and teacher. He bridged craft and theory, working in glass, metal, and later leading the preliminary course. Park captures the Bauhaus concern with visual structure—an abstract “landscape” of pure design.

9. Small Ship-Building Game by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher

Bright, geometric, and playfully educational, this modular toy set by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher represents Bauhaus ideals in their most joyful form. Designed for children, it encourages imaginative construction using colorful wooden blocks. Siedhoff-Buscher trained in sculpture and later worked in the wood workshop, where she created furniture and toys that combined learning with aesthetics. Her work underscored the Bauhaus belief that design should enrich daily life—even for its youngest users.

10. Nest Tables by Marcel Breuer

Crafted from tubular steel and simple laminated wood, Marcel Breuer’s nesting tables are a marvel of compact, functional elegance. Influenced by bicycle construction and modern materials, Breuer became a pioneer of furniture design at the Bauhaus. These tables reflect the modular, efficient ethos of the movement—flexible pieces for modern living. Breuer’s work, like much of Bauhaus design, continues to influence contemporary interiors today.

Merging Art with Life

From photomontages and posters to kinetic sculptures and nesting tables, Bauhaus design was never about one style—it was a way of thinking. These ten pieces, though varied in form and function, share a DNA of simplicity, experimentation, and a drive to unify art with life. Nearly a century later, the Bauhaus remains a benchmark for good design: purposeful, human, and always ahead of its time.