A retrospective of the extraordinary work of hand-weaver Anni Albers will be exhibited at the Tate Modern in London from 11 October 2018 – 27th January 2019.
Born in Berlin in 1899 Anni Albers went on to become an extraordinary textile artist specialising in the ancient craft of hand weaving.
At the age of 23, Albers became a student at the Bauhaus, the famous German art and crafts school. The Bauhaus tried to unify art, craft, and technology and in doing so , bridge the gap between art and industry and create ‘total’ art forms. This movement was huge… with an eye on economic possibilities and mass production, design became more minimalist, more streamlined, more ’modern’.
It was at Bauhaus that Albers met her future husband Josef Albers along with other modernist artists such as Kandinsky and Klee.
‘Here, in the school’s vibrant weaving workshop, traditional hand weaving was redefend as modern art.’
The Bauhaus school as closed down by the Nazis in 1933 and the Albers’ fled to the US, where they taught the Arts. Albers travelled extensively to South America during this period; Mexican, Peruvian and Chilean influences are all there to see in her exquisite work.
There will also be an Illustrated Presentation by Anni Albers’ friend and colleague Nicholas Fox Weber on 11th October @ 18.30 as well as a Curators Talk on 17th October at 18.30.
To win a pair of tickets to this exhibition please enter our competition on the CraftCourses Facebook page.
