Lecture: "Germany and Austria: Bauhaus and the Dream of a New Man"

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was Germany and Austria that set the tone in the conversation about design. The Bauhaus aimed to unite art, craft, and industry to create a new human and a new way of life. The utopian dream of simplicity and rationality became the main project of the era.

But design quickly became intertwined with politics. The Third Reich used form and style as tools of propaganda, while the post-war Ulm School tried to restore humanism and rationality to design—this time without ideological dogmas.

In the lecture, we will discuss:

• Why Bauhaus is still considered a myth and a symbol of “pure” design,

• How objects can embody political utopias and nightmares,

• And why post-war Germany once again turned to design as the language of progress.