Layers of Meaning

Anni Albers - Bauhaus Textiles

"Anni approached textiles almost like a sculptor. She was of the opinion that "the thread should speak for itself, that somehow the hand of the artist, the hand of the craftsperson, the hand of the weaver wasn't going to interfere with how the thread wanted to be seen," says Matilda McQuaid, a Cooper-Hewitt curator. So significant were Anni's contributions that in 1949 she became the first woman textile artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art.

Interestingly, Anni had not wanted to take up weaving. As progressive as the Bauhaus was, its directors still had limited ideas of what women could do. But once herded into the textile workshop, Anni eventually took the process to new heights. She was known for experimenting with the new materials - combining more traditional linen and cotton with metallic and plastic fibers." from The first couple of modern design

Josef and Anni Albers were Bauhaus thinkers and designers, creating Europe's new world vision, based on the promise that high quality design of everyday objects could improve the lives of every person. These aspirations led the Albers to become refugees from the Nazis in Germany, to flee to New York. They were allowed to follow their vision as some of the fist professors at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. A decade after Anni ALbers' death, she is the subject of a retrospective at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York.

The Anni Albers gallery features thumbnails images of her works (Click for the larger images). Jane Eisenstein has done an analysis of the weaving pattern of one of Anni Albers' pieces.

image: Anni Albers. Design for Wall Hanging. 1926. © The Joseph and Anni Albers Foundation