Reprint: Gropius: International Architecture | English Edition

When the Bauhaus moved to Dessau in 1924, it finally became possible to publish the first of the Bauhaus Books that Walter Gropius (1883–1969) and László Moholy-Nagy (1895–1946) had originally conceived in Weimar.

The series was designed to provide insight into the teachings of the Bauhaus and the possibilities it offered for integrating modern design into everyday life in an increasingly modern world. The first in the series was Gropius’ International Architecture, an overview of modern architecture in the mid-1920s and an early effort to define what would later be known as International Style architecture. In a brief preface, Gropius summarized the guiding principles he saw uniting the avant-garde worldwide. But the main focus of the book is visual, with an extensive illustrated section showcasing buildings in Europe and the Americas. According to Gropius, these illustrations demonstrate the “development of a consistent worldview” that abandoned the previous decorative role of architecture and expressed itself through a new language of precision, functionality, and geometry.

Published in English for the first time, this new edition of the first Bauhaus Book is accompanied by a brief scholarly commentary. Presented in a design faithful to Moholy-Nagy’s original, International Architecture offers readers the chance to explore the Bauhaus’ aesthetic and its place in the world as Gropius himself sought to define them.

Author(s): Walter Gropius
Edited by Walter Gropius, László Moholy-Nagy (original series), Lars Müller (facsimile edition) in collaboration with Bauhaus-Archiv/Museum für Gestaltung
Design: László Moholy-Nagy (original German edition)
Reprint
18 × 23 cm, 7 × 9 in
108 pages, 100 illustrations
hardcover