The founders of the Werkbund : twenty-four pioneers of the modern movement / W. Owen Harrod.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harrod, William Owen, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Deutscher Werkbund--History.

Deutscher Werkbund.

Architecture--Germany--History--20th century.

Architecture.

Decorative arts--Germany--History--20th century.

Decorative arts.

Physical Description:

239 pages : illustrations (some color), plans, portraits ; 26 cm

Other Title:

The founders of the Werkbund : 24 pioneers of the modern movement

Place of Publication:

London : Lund Humphries, [2026]

Summary:

"This book is the first, in any language, to provide a comprehensive study of the founders of the German Werkbund: the twelve artists and twelve firms represented at the establishment of the organization in 1907. Although these twenty-four were not always in agreement, they were committed to a common cause: strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, their aim was to inspire good design and craftsmanship in mass-produced goods and architecture. Together they put forward a dialogue about the nature of German culture, both visual and intellectual, and about the character of German design. They were representatives of the regional centers of Germanic culture - in the cities of Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Darmstadt, Weimar, and Vienna - and of craft-based industries throughout Central Europe. The twenty-four reflected the distribution of their common, German-speaking, socio-economic identities: they were a microcosm of the society they hoped to reform. In shedding light on these highly influential individuals, who were the forerunners of the Modern Movement, the Bauhaus, and the International Style, this book provides a new understanding of how the Werkbund functioned, how it pursued its aims, and how it achieved such a profound and enduring legacy"-- Publisher's website.

Contents:

Twelve artists and twelve firms

Circa 1800

Children of the revolution

The German question

The long depression

Journeyman years

Radiant Munich and the new Vienna

Banded workshops

The contemporary art of printing

Darmstadt and the Jugendstil

The professors

The Third German Applied Arts Exhibition and the foundation of the Werkbund

The German house

Not mutual struggle, but mutual help

Fruitful cooperation

Cultural publishing

The proper integration of machine work

The desire for German form

Harmonious culture

The Werkbund in Austria and the Austrian Werkbund

Becoming superfluous

The Cologne exhibition

The empire dissolves in mist

The legacy of the founders.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-234)and index.

ISBN:

1848227388

9781848227385

OCLC:

1522469995