Pioneers: William Morris and the Bauhaus

VISIT

‘Pioneers: William Morris
and the Bauhaus’
The Enduring Influence
of the Arts and Crafts
Movement

The English Arts and Crafts movement and the Bauhaus will finally be shown as one in the very first UK exhibition to explore their relationship. This autumn, the William Morris Gallery in Waltham Forest, presents a major exhibition fusing the two movements together, while also marking the centenary of the founding of Walter Gropius’ Bauhaus in 1919.

Opening on October 19, 2019, Pioneers: William Morris and the Bauhaus, curated by Roisin Inglesby and Ilaria Puri Purini, will unite 60 objects including ceramics, textiles and pieces of furniture created at the Bauhaus, juxtaposed with beautiful wall hangings, tiles and glassware designed collectively by William Morris and his circle of talented
craftspeople.

The exhibition will hone in on key themes such as the unity of fine art and craft, the integrity of design and manufacture and the central role of architecture

in the quest for Gesamtkunstwerk, also meaning ‘the complete work of art.’ Both movements, which considered community and collaboration imperative, also celebrated the role of female practitioners alike. Morris’s Arts and Crafts circle worked on their crafts collectively, with his motive being ‘art made by the people and for the people’, similar to Gropius’s vision being to ‘create a new guild of craftsmen.’

The works of Bauhaus collaborators, artists Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, will be on show, alongside stunning woven wall hangings by German textile designers Gunta Stölzl and Benita Koch-Otte. Contemporary designers inspired by both the Bauhaus and William Morris will also show their handworks, including fashion designer Mary Katrantzou who, for her Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, created Bauhaus prints influenced by William Morris. A short stroll from the exhibition at nearby Walthamstow Wetlands, artist Nicholas Pankhurst will present two Bauhaus-inspired works out in the open.

‘The Bauhaus was not an aesthetic, but a school that captured a diverse range of ideas and influences,’ says Inglesby. ‘The exhibition will shed light on these lesser-known stories, inviting visitors to explore connections with Morris’s objects and the philosophy that inspired them.’

Pioneers: William Morris and the Bauhaus – The Enduring Influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement runs from 19 October 2019 – 26 January 2020 at William Morris Gallery, Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 5pm; admission free; wmgallery.org.uk

WORDS FLORIE HARDING