Anni Albers

Paul Klee’s theory of form is a constant point of reference for Anni Albers. Klee teaches the weaving class at the Bauhaus in the winter semester of 1927/28, and calls woven textiles “serving objects”, in contrast to pieces of free art. Weavings should not be independent pieces, says Klee, they should take a suitable place in the architectural design. Albers interprets Klee’s approach as meaning that there are virtually endless opportunities for weavers to create textiles that fit into their environment. “Serving objects” are not just wall hangings, they are also curtains, table coverings, carpets, rugs and upholstery.

Anni Albers weaves this wall hanging in 1925. The design is also in the exhibition. Albers weaves with wool and silk to create a design centred on horizontal strips. The strips are each broken up into blocks. Albers mirrors the design around the horizontal centreline, and also laterally reverses the bottom half. But she only mirrors the structure – the colours of the blocks vary. The petrol-coloured blocks in the top half are yellow in the bottom, yellow in the top half is petrol below.

Albers‘ composition recalls the structuring principles that Paul Klee teaches in his courses on design theory at the Bauhaus. He often develops compositions with coloured horizontal strips that are broken up into smaller blocks. Like Klee, Albers uses a complex mix of formal structure and colour to create a rich rhythm of voices – a polyphony, as Klee would have called it.