International Design

Internationalism was part of the Bauhaus concept from the very beginning: Not only Germans, but also Americans, Russians, Swiss or Hungarians were among the teachers; the student body was correspondingly international. As National Socialism spread throughout Germany, many artists were forced to emigrate – taking the ideas of the avant-garde with them as export goods.

Three interlocking light brown wooden tables.
Marcel Breuer, Isokon set tables, 1936, Inv. No. A01836, Photo: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv Köln, Marion Mennicken

An additional impulse to international modernism came from Scandinavia in the 1930s: the Finn Alvar Aalto took up aspects of functionalism from the Bauhaus – such as the idea of the freeswinging cantilever chair – but transformed the principle with soft, flowing lines and a warm, natural material: wood.

The Swede Bruno Mathsson also focused on wood and textile straps for his iconic seating and reclining furniture. Today, both designers are regarded as the fathers of organic design.

Cantilever chair made of light wood with wave-shaped seat shell.
Alvar Aalto, Armchair No. 31 “Paimio”, 1931, Inv. No. A01708, Photo: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv Köln, Marion Mennicken

Wilhelm Wagenfeld, on the other hand, remained true to functionalism throughout his life as a designer. In the 1930s, he set new standards for the German glass industry with practicable designs. After the end of the Second World War, Wagenfeld began his successful career for WMF in Geislingen, among others.

Rectangular and square glass jars in various sizes.
Wilhelm Wagenfeld, stacked crockery “Kubus”, 1938, Inv. No. F01508, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Photo: Sascha Fuis Photographie, Cologne