100 Years of Bauhaus
German Design 1919 - 2019

As an auction house focusing on 20th century design, we are excited to celebrate the anniversary of Bauhaus with an auction. More than 180 lots will be auctioned under the title '100 years of Bauhaus' on the 25th of June - including many Bauhaus period objects and pieces of furniture, as well as later designs created under the influence of Bauhaus.

An icon that embodies the principles of Bauhaus like no other design is Marcel Breuer's wooden slat-chair, ti 1a '(1924). Likely inspired by the furniture designs and teachings of the De Stijl movement, Breuer created his first version of the slat-chair in 1922 during his studies at the Weimar Bauhaus. What Breuer developed was the skeleton of an armchair; a frame made of wooden slats of equal size and minimal fabric covering, which was desgined to provide maximum stability and comfort. Between 1924 and 1925 only 26 known copies were made. The chair offered by Quittenbaum comes from the household of a German architect, and has been family owned since the 1920s. The fabric cover was probably renewed. As a highlight of the auction, the slat chair has an estimated calling price of € 35,000 - 45,000. Another rarity is Breuer's tubular steel folding lounge chair, B4 '(2nd version from 1927), which stands out with its red paint. In the series of tubular steel armchairs designed by Breuer, the B4 occupies a special position, as the chair shows the constructive advantages of the "Wassily" armchair, but saves space.

Many objects in the auction document the most important workshops of the Bauhaus movement, and the stages of its development: From the early days comes Oskar Schlemmer's 'Manikin' (1922, SP € 20,000 - 30,000), an experimental toy, which shows how painters, sculptors, and stage artists focus on the theme of human movement in space. Further, Quittenbaum offers an interesting postcard by Schlemmer to his friend, Helmut Baumann, with a watercoloured ink drawing and a presumably encrypted text, dated 1941, which comes in a private collection (SP €40,000 - 50,000). Also from the hand of Oskar Schlemmer is a drawing on note paper, which is dated based on similar studies to 1931, and has an estimated calling price of €25,000 - 30,000.

Josef Hartwig's Bauhaus chess game XVI (1924) is also featured among the classics, and is offered with a previously unknown variant of a folding game board, which fits exactly into the game box (€ 15,000 - 20,000). By Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Quittenbaum presents the Table Lamp Type 2, designed 1925/26, which appears in the catalogue at an estimated € 50,000 - 60,000. The lamp is in quite good condition, with a - formerly cardboard - lampshade renewed with fabric.

Further exciting Bauhaus designs in the auction are by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Hannes Meyer, Christian Dell, Gerhard Marcks and Marianne Brandt.

Like no other designer, Max Bill helped set the Bauhaus philosophy alive with the founding of the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm. He had studied at the Bauhaus for two highly influential years. On offer are his table 'quadratrund' (1949, SP 3,500 - 4,500) and two Ulmer stools (1953), which have an estimated calling price of €2,000 - 3,000. Quittenbaum also offers the serving cart designed by the former Bauhaus student Herbert Hirche, which can not be surpassed in its minimalist elegance (SP 900 - 1.200).

Despite the hot temperatures in Germany, the attendees of the auction were not afraid of heated bidding battles for the coveted highlights of the auction ‚100 Years of Bauhaus‘.

The interest in our special auction for the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus was high across the board - with attendees bidding in the auction hall, on the telephones, and online, especially on the highlights of the auction. The very first lot, Oskar Schlemmer’s ‚Mannequin‘ (estimated price 20,000 - 30,000 EUR), was successfully hammered, and generated proceeds of 30,000 EUR. To our delight, this special piece, from the family of a major Bauhaus master, is going to a public collection, where it will soon be put on display. Several telephone bidders also fought back and forth over the extremely rare folding chair ‚B4 - 2nd version‘ by Marcel Breuer (estimated price 17,000 - 23,000 EUR) which resulted in an outstanding price of 68,580 EUR. This piece is now in the possession of an internationally renowned museum. Other iconic designs from the Bauhaus era also found their way to new owners. Marcel Breuer’s famous slat chair ‚ti 1a‘ (estimated price 35,000 - 45,000 EUR) is going to Italy, for a hammer price of 50,000 EUR, and a rare version of the Bauhaus chess game ‚XVI‘ by Josef Hartwig, with textile board (estimated price 15,000 - 20,000 EUR) is going to Spain for 26,4000 EUR.

With many more good results, the full list of which can be seen on our website, the evening was a successful start to the June auction series.

Unsold properties can still be purchased in the post-auction sale, which lasts until July 26th.