The Most Controversial Bauhaus Designer? | Marcel Breuer | History, Work, and Legacy | Design Docs

Marcel Breuer was one of the most famous designers to come out of the Bauhaus. While most know him for his model B3 chair (also known as the Wassily chair), he had an incredibly fruitful career in architecture as well. Being considered by many Bauhaus faculty as Walter Gropius’ protege, it is no wonder he excelled in so many different disciplines.
Marcel Breuer was born on May 21, 1902, in Pécs, Hungary, a small town near the Danube River. I was unable to find much information from his early childhood, but do know he attended high school at Magyar Királyi Föreáliskola in Pecs. Soon after graduation, he began studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna where he was offered a scholarship. Unfortunately, he really disliked the program, and as a result quit within a few weeks to begin an apprenticeship with a Viennese architect. Breuer had always loved working with his hands, so he thought joining the cabinet making studio of the architect’s brother could be a great fit. After gaining some experience, he heard of a new school that was opened in Weimar Germany called the Bauhaus. Head up by the revolutionary architect and designer Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus was quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most progressive and innovative schools in the design education space. The Bauhaus ethos encouraged students to dabble in many disciplines, which seemed perfect for someone of Breuer’s interests. At age 18, in 1921, he moved to Weimar, Germany, to enroll at the school and further his studies of design. At the time he was one of the youngest students of the movement.
Soon after joining the school, Gropius came to recognize Breuer’s talents and within a year her was promoted to lead the carpentry shop. Here, Breuer would create furniture for Gropius’ sommerfeld house in Berlin, as well as a popular series of African and slatted chairs. At the Bauhaus, Breuer would also befriend one of the most well respected artists of this era, Wassily Kandinsky, who was a teacher in the foundations program at the Bauhaus and was instrumental in creating its identity and legacy. He also became close with the likes of Moholy Nagy, Paul Klee, and Josef Albers who helped form this designers eye in his early days. Breuer would later state that Klee was one of his most influential teacher’s in his development, alongside his high school geometry teacher.
After completing his studies at the Bauhaus in 1924, he temporarily moved to Paris to help get his name out there and grow his practice. His time in Paris would be short lived however, as he was called back to the newly renovated Bauhaus in Dessau in 1925 where he would develop some of his most iconic works.
During this time, Breuer mostly supported himself with a number of furniture designs, most well known of which was the Model B3 chair, later re named as the Wassily chair after Kandinsky gave him high praises for his initial prototype. This chair was revolutionary in the furniture space, utilizing a brand new method of production inspired by bicycle handle bars. As an avid cyclist, Wassily was hugely inspired by the bent metal handlebar forms that were frequently in his line of sight. He wondered how this method of production could be brought to furniture, and as a result began exploring forms. He would eventually come to create one of the most iconic chairs of the era, the aforementioned Wassily chair. This chair, initially produced by the Italian firm Gavina, is still on the market today and is currently being produced by the furniture icon Miller Knoll.
In 1926, Breuer would marry his fellow Bauhaus Alumni Marta Erps. Breuer’s parents were both Jewish, so unfortunately he was forced to renounce his faith before the marriage due to the growing anti-semitism of the era.
Unfortunately, Breuer was beginning to realize that many of his architectural concepts were remaining just that at the Bauhaus, concepts. As a result, In 1928 at the age of 26 he left the Bauhaus to establish his own architectural office in Berlin. He was largely supported by royalties from the sale of his chairs during this era.
Unfortunately, itt was an increasingly difficult time to establish a firm. With growing tensions throughout Germany due to the approach of WWII and the growth of the Nazi Party, it was difficult to find work. He did manage to secure a few commissions however, one of which was the Dolderthal apartments in Zurich for Sigfried Gideon in 1934.
With Germany becoming an increasingly hostile environment, Breuer took Gropius’ suggestion to move to London in 1935. While in London, Breuer worked for Jack Pritchard at the Isokon company. The Isokon Company was one of the earliest proponents of modernism in the UK. Here, Breuer designed his Long Chair and experimented with bent and formed plywood, inspired by designs by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
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[@maxinemacalino3628]

this was a really cool video. thanks!

[@design-docs]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

Thanks for that. It was very interesting. Maybe do one on Hans Scharoun if you are looking for ideas.

[@design-docs]

Great idea! Thanks for watching :)

[@jimwhitman3678]

The Hopper house in Maryland is on of my favorites.

[@design-docs]

It’s a great one!

[@realqueenpharao]

I truly enjoy your video keep dropping those gems 🥰✨

[@design-docs]

Thank you so much!

[@coleenpunter2243]

very informative, thanks for your hard work in researching Marcel Breuer. this just helps fill in a bit more of the Bauhaus mystique. I feel that in some ways we know quite a bit and yet so little, no thanks to the poor influence in Germany at that time. The most intriguing thing about this era was the explosion of modernism , an important part in the family of art. My wife and I have found the people around the Bauhaus most fascinating. I do not enjoy all of Marcel's work but respect his efforts and contributions. Graham

[@design-docs]

I appreciate the kind words Graham, I'm glad you found it informative.

[@edwardrichardson8254]

I worked at the Whitney (Breuer's Whitney I mean) when it had to undergo exorbitantly expensive stone mason work to the 1500 granite panels cladding the structure. There is a structural commitment to many of these modernist icons never discussed, most notoriously Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye and more recently Maison à Bordeaux as per the documentary "Koolhaas HouseLife." They can be nightmares for their tenants. How ironic that Breuer was ready in his modernist zeal to wreck a Beaux-Arts temple (Grand Central) while his best legacy (the old Whitney) struggles for landmark status (hearings will be held this year). Personally, I love the building, it's a better work of art than 99% of what I saw move through the museum. It narrowly escaped becoming a foundation for a glass tower like he wanted to do with Grand Central. I'm glad Sotheby's purchased it, they appreciate it and have all the money in the world.

[@design-docs]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! A lot of excellent info here.

[@edwardrichardson8254]

​@@design-docs My pleasure. If you have not already, I encourage you to watch two movies relevant to that era: THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949) and THE BRUTALIST which was released a few months ago. Both movies are the same core story: a Modernist hero architect must fight priggish, check-pants, country club captains of industry to realize his Brutalist dream. HOWEVER, whereas THE FOUNTAINHEAD from the political right, preaching Ayn Rand's rugged individualism and veneration of The Great Man, THE BRUTALIST does it from the Left, where communists and anarchists are portrayed has honorable and revolutionary collectivism as noble. Both are a bit too "on the nose" with their message, portraying their villains as moustache-twirling Snidely Whiplashes, but they're movies every architecture buff should see. I've heard MEGALOPOLIS is also a Randian architect movie but I have not seen it yet.

[@matthewbeckmann]

Is anyone else ending up here after seeing The Brutalist?

[@design-docs]

I’m so excited to see that movie. Was Breuer mentioned or something?