Criticism of the Bauhaus Concept in the Ulm School of Design

Takayasu, Keisuke

doi:https://doi.org/10.18910/90893

Criticism of the Bauhaus Concept in the Ulm School of Design

Takayasu, Keisuke

The Journal of the Asian Conference of Design History and Theory, 2017, 2, 9-18

Number of Access:255（2025-08-15 10:59 Counts）

Identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.18910/90893

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Title	Criticism of the Bauhaus Concept in the Ulm School of Design
Creator	NRID 1000070346659 1000070346659 researchmap permalink keisuke.takayasu keisuke.takayasu CreatorName Takayasu, Keisuke
Subject	Bauhaus
	Gestaltung
	Modernism
	Free Art
	Industrial Design
Description	Theme I : Design Theories and Ideas in Europe
Abstract	In 1950, the Swiss designer Max Bill was invited to assist Inge Scholl in planning a new school of design in Ulm similar to the Bauhaus because of Bill’s experience at the Bauhaus and the modernist works he had developed from the 1930s to the 1940s in Switzerland. When the Ulm School of Design provisionally began its design courses in 1953, Max Bill became its first rector. When the new school building was officially opened on 2 October 1955, the school was expected to be a successor to the Bauhaus school. However, in 1957, a conflict over educational principles became unavoidable; younger teachers, even Otl Aicher, the co-founder of the school, complained that Bill placed too much weight on art in the design education. In 1957, Bill left the school. New leaders such as Tomás Maldonado opposed certain Bauhaus concepts because they tended to believe more in the tenets of traditional art training. Therefore, in accordance with the complex requirements of the industrial society, younger lecturers encouraged a design education based on the latest scientific knowledge. A similar reorientation was also seen in the Bauhaus. Hannes Meyer, the second rector, had attempted to exclude purpose-free art training so as to develop practical instruction using scientific approaches. This paper examines the historical significance of the functionalist reformation that took place in both schools with a focus on the fundamental problems with free art training as part of design education.
Publisher	Saitama University
Source Title	The Journal of the Asian Conference of Design History and Theory
Volume (Issue)	2
Page	9-18
Date of Issued	2017-09
Language	English
Handle URL	https://hdl.handle.net/11094/90893
DOI	https://doi.org/10.18910/90893
eISSN	21897166
Access Rights	open access
oaire:version	Version of Record
Category	本学関連学会 Related Societies
Category	The Journal of the Asian Conference of Design History and Theory / No.2

Resource Type	journal article
Local Type	Related Societies
DCMI Type	Text
DCTERMS.bibliographicCitation	The Journal of the Asian Conference of Design History and Theory. 2017, 2, p. 9-18
DC.title	Criticism of the Bauhaus Concept in the Ulm School of Design
DC.creator	Takayasu, Keisuke
DC.publisher	Saitama University
DC.language' scheme='DCTERMS.RFC1766	English
DC.type' scheme='DCTERMS.DCMIType	Text
DCTERMS.issued' scheme='DCTERMS.W3CDTF	2017-09
DC.subject	Bauhaus
	Gestaltung
	Modernism
	Free Art
	Industrial Design
DC.description	Theme I : Design Theories and Ideas in Europe
DCTERMS.abstract	In 1950, the Swiss designer Max Bill was invited to assist Inge Scholl in planning a new school of design in Ulm similar to the Bauhaus because of Bill’s experience at the Bauhaus and the modernist works he had developed from the 1930s to the 1940s in Switzerland. When the Ulm School of Design provisionally began its design courses in 1953, Max Bill became its first rector. When the new school building was officially opened on 2 October 1955, the school was expected to be a successor to the Bauhaus school. However, in 1957, a conflict over educational principles became unavoidable; younger teachers, even Otl Aicher, the co-founder of the school, complained that Bill placed too much weight on art in the design education. In 1957, Bill left the school. New leaders such as Tomás Maldonado opposed certain Bauhaus concepts because they tended to believe more in the tenets of traditional art training. Therefore, in accordance with the complex requirements of the industrial society, younger lecturers encouraged a design education based on the latest scientific knowledge. A similar reorientation was also seen in the Bauhaus. Hannes Meyer, the second rector, had attempted to exclude purpose-free art training so as to develop practical instruction using scientific approaches. This paper examines the historical significance of the functionalist reformation that took place in both schools with a focus on the fundamental problems with free art training as part of design education.
DC.identifier	10.18910/90893
DC.format	90893
citation_title	Criticism of the Bauhaus Concept in the Ulm School of Design
citation_author	Takayasu, Keisuke
citation_publisher	Saitama University
citation_language	English
citation_date	2017-09
citation_journal_title	The Journal of the Asian Conference of Design History and Theory
citation_volume	2
citation_firstpage	9
citation_lastpage	18
citation_public_url	https://hdl.handle.net/11094/90893
citation_doi_detail	10.18910/90893
citation_doi	https://doi.org/10.18910/90893

Criticism of the Bauhaus Concept in the Ulm School of Design

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