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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Marianne Brandt

Marianne Liebe Brandt (1893-1983) studied painting and sculpture at the Weimar Hochschule für Bildende Kunst from 1911 until 1918. In 1919 she moved to Norway, where she married a Norwegian painter. After four years of living in Norway and France, the couple separated, and at the age of thirty-one, Marianne Brandt enrolled at the Bauhaus.

She was in the metalworking shop run by László Moholy-Nagy, who recognized her talent and encouraged her work. From 1924-1929 she produced several pieces that are now considered icons of Bauhaus design.

In 1926 she was made deputy head of the metalworking shop and was responsible for coordinating projects with industry. It was during this time that she designed a number of lamps and lighting fixtures for the firm of Körting & Mathiesen. While at the Bauhaus, she collaborated with Hin Bredendieck, Christian Dell, Hans Przyrembel, and Wilhelm Wagenfeld.

In 1929 Marianne Brandt worked briefly in the Berlin architecture practice of Walter Gropius. While there, she primarily designed modular furniture for mass production and worked on interior design for housing.

After leaving the Gropius firm, she was head of the design division for the applied arts at the Ruppelwerke Metalware Factory in Gotha until 1932.  For several years after leaving that position, she led a very retired life. Although brilliant at the Bauhaus, she was never able to establish herself with any success as an independent designer.


In 1949 she took a teaching position at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste in Dresden, and from 1951 to 1954 she taught in East Berlin at the Institut für angewandte Kunst.

Later in her life, she returned to painting and sculpture. 

From marianne-brandt.com and designaddict.com 



Table lamp
jlohmanngallery.com

HMB25 pendant lamp
bonluxat.com

Teapot
tecnolumen.com

Ashtrays
unicahome.com

Kandem lamp
moma.org

Table clock
moma.org

Fixture HMB 25300
tecnolumen.com

Hot water jug
moma.org

Ceiling fixture
edition20.com

Tea infuser
dezeen.com

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post. It is always a good day when I can learn a little more.

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  2. @Mid Mod Mom: I really wasn't too familiar with Brandt's work either, so I learned a lot myself while researching this post.

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  3. I love Brandt's designs and recognise most of the pieces eg the tea pots, lamps and ashtrays. But I have never seen the table clock - do you have a date for it? And do you know what material (s) was it made from?

    ReplyDelete