an old envelope with a handwritten message on it sitting on top of a tablea group of men and women standing in a line
Maison R&C

394 - ERICH CONSEMÜLLER (1902–1957)
See original version (French)

Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
Description
ERICH CONSEMÜLLER (1902–1957) Group portrait of the ‘Bauhaus Masters’ on the roof of the Bauhaus school in Dessau, 1926. Contemporary silver print. Handwritten notes in pencil on the reverse: ‘photo: Consmüller/Bauhaus Dessau 1926’; list of artists featured in the photograph; printing instructions. Small tear on the right-hand side and a mark on the negative in the bottom left-hand corner: ‘ Joseph Albers, Hinnerk Sche- per, George Muche, Oscar Schlemmer, Wassily Kandinsky, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Gunta Stölzl, László Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer, Joost Schmidt, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Herbert Bayer.” 12 x 17 cm. Erich Consemüller (1902–1957), an artist and student at the Bauhaus, documented in a precise and authentic manner life and work at the Bauhaus during the Weimar and Dessau years through black-and-white photographs. This work offers an insight into the world in which the students and their teachers lived and worked during the early years of this school of architecture, and showcases the students’ creations, both in the field of interior design and in architecture. Walter Gropius, who was the first director of the Bauhaus in 1919, had entrusted his student Erich Consemüller with this important task, and the latter took around 300 photographs between 1926 and 1928. These photographs were then part of the school’s promotional efforts and were intended to showcase the work of students and teachers to the public. It was in the Bauhaus workshops that numerous objects of modern design were created for a new world, ranging from everyday objects to residential buildings. From the very beginning of the Bauhaus, photography played a decisive role there, whether in a playful or experimental context. Thanks to its versatility, photography was particularly well-suited to conveying directly the image of a carefree life at the Bauhaus and to passing on to posterity the atmosphere of an avant-garde youth. Bibliography: bauhaus.photo 100 photographs from the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Federation of Franco-German Houses, Anja Guttenberger, n.d.
See original version (French)
About the sale Paul BENARROCHE Collection and others | Old and modern photographs | Part II
Auction location
Auction time 10/23/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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