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TheDeutscher Werkbund (German:[ˈdɔʏtʃɐˈvɛʁkbʊnt];lit. 'German Association of Craftsmen') is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. TheWerkbund became an important element in the development ofmodern architecture and industrial design, particularly in the later creation of theBauhaus school of design. Its initial purpose was to establish a partnership of product manufacturers with design professionals to improve the competitiveness of German companies in global markets. The Werkbund was less anartistic movement than a state-sponsored effort to integrate traditional crafts and industrialmass production techniques, to put Germany on a competitive footing with England and the United States. Its mottoVom Sofakissen zum Städtebau (fromsofa cushions to city-building) indicates its range of interest.
The Deutscher Werkbund emerged when the architectJoseph Maria Olbrich left Vienna forDarmstadt, Germany, in 1899, to form an artists' colony at the invitation ofErnest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse.[2] The Werkbund was founded by Olbrich,Peter Behrens,Richard Riemerschmid,Bruno Paul and others in 1907[2] inMunich at the instigation ofHermann Muthesius, existed through 1934, then re-established afterWorld War II in 1950. Muthesius was the author of the exhaustive three-volume "The English House" of 1905, a survey of the practical lessons of the EnglishArts and Crafts movement. Muthesius was seen as something of a cultural ambassador, or industrial spy, between Germany and England.
The organization originally included twelve architects and twelve business firms. The architects includePeter Behrens,Theodor Fischer (who served as its first president),Josef Hoffmann,Bruno Paul,Max Laeuger andRichard Riemerschmid. Other architects affiliated with the project includeHeinrich Tessenow and the BelgianHenry van de Velde. By 1914, it had 1,870 members, including heads of museums.[3] The Werkbund commissioned van de Velde to design atheater for the 1914Werkbund Exhibition inCologne. The exhibition was closed and the buildings dismantled ahead of schedule because of the outbreak of World War I.Eliel Saarinen was made corresponding member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1914 and was invited to participate in the 1914 Cologne exhibition. Among the Werkbund's more noted members was the architectMies van der Rohe, who served as Architectural Director.
TheVerband Deutscher Industrie Designer (Association of German Industrial Designers, or VDID) and theBund Deutscher Grafik-Designer (Federation of German Graphic Designers, or "BDG-Mitte") held a joint meeting to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Deutscher Werkbund. A juried exhibition and opening was held on 14 March 2008.[4][5]
The collections and archives (Werkbundarchiv) of the Werkbund are housed at the Museum der Dinge (Museum of Things) inBerlin. The museum is focused on design and objects used in everyday life in the 20th century up to the present. Among other exhibits, it includes aFrankfurt kitchen.
