lacquered wood 22¾ h × 19¾ w × 19¾ d in (58 × 50 × 50 cm)
Exemplifying the ideals of the Bauhaus aesthetic, the following lot harmoniously unites function with design. Influenced by the abstract aesthetic of the De Stijl movement and the designs of Gerrit Rietveld, this table is free of excess ornamentation and is well suited for mass production, essential elements of modern life and Bauhaus design.
The importance of the Bauhaus did not lie in the decree of a stylistic absolute, but in a new spiritual attitude intended to provide the art forms of our environment with an objective method of work and thought developed from elementary roots, whose spontaneous, artistic initiative was anchored in communal life to protect it from its own despotism. - Walter Gropius
Exemplifying the ideals of the Bauhaus aesthetic, the following lot harmoniously unites function with design. Influenced by the abstract aesthetic of the De Stijl movement and the designs of Gerrit Rietveld, this table is free of excess ornamentation and is well suited for mass production, essential elements of modern life and Bauhaus design.
Designed in the mid-1920s, this form was utilized in the dormitories of the Bauhaus school, Dessau. At this time, Marcel Breuer was head of the carpentry workshop. This table shares characteristics with Breuer’s designs for children’s furniture and is similar in form to the works of other Bauhaus members, including Josef Albers and Fritz Breuhaus. The early table exhibits a precise balance of art and practical application and embodies the Bauhaus philosophy.
This work comes from the collection Mrs. Kitty Fischer-van Mijll Dekker, a student of weaving at Bauhaus, Dessau from 1929-1932.
provenance: Mrs. Kitty Fischer-van der Mijll Dekker, The Netherlands | Private collection, The Netherlands
literature: Walter Gropius, Giedion, fig. 11 Marcel Breuer: Furniture and Interiors, Wilk, pg. 27 illustrates related forms