“construction, which consists of Black, Purple, Orange, and White”
Max Bill, construction from Black, Purple, Orange and White, in 1944/45. Image: Max Bill/Pro Litteris, Zurich, Kunsthaus Winterthur
born in 1908, Bill was the founder of the Zurich Concrete. Kandinsky and Paul Klee, among which Bill studied at the Bauhaus in Dessau, and the forefather of concrete art, Theo van Doesburg, inspired by Wassily he proclaimed in 1949, in an exhibition catalogue of the Kunsthaus Zürich, the new flow, based on geometric forms and, thus, mathematical foundations.
Ulm school of design
Starting in the 1950s, Bill taught at the he co-founded Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm. Not only that, he was the first rector of the school, he also designed the school building. Until 1968, about ICE-designer Alexander Neumeister or the internationally renowned Designer Rolf Müller were trained, Josef Albers and Johannes Itten taught, among others, here. And the HfG Ulm – the city was after the Second world war, the centre of an intellectual awakening – to the Bauhaus as the most important international design school.
Ulmer stool
Max Bill Ulm stool. Image: Max Bill, Pro Litteris, Zurich
Three wood planks and a wooden stick, around: The simple furniture that can be used as a stool, side table or as a rack element, enjoys today a cult status. Together with Hans Gugelot developed the Bill in 1954, the object for the students at the school of art in Ulm, where the native of Winterthur and taught at that time. Until today, the stool is produced and sold – and even has its own Wikipedia entry.
pavilion sculpture
Stands prominently on the Bahnhofstrasse: Max bill’s pavilion sculpture. Image: Philip Hitz/Pro Litteris, Zurich
The large granite factory at the corner of station/Pelican road, consisting of 63 equal-sized blocks, and was built in 1983 and caused at the time when the people of Zurich for great indignation; as monstrous and ugly it was scolded. Client the city Council and the Directorate of the Bank company, the Max Bill, to the 70. Birthday with a work of art in the public space in honor of wanted. Bill self wished to be under the granite arches buried. When the city refused, after his sudden death in 1994, scattered his widow, the ashes of the artist around the pavilion sculpture.
Good Form
Many of Max bill’s writings revolved around product design – in sum, resulted in the postulate of “The Good Form”, the 1957 appeared as a book. The design goal should be that Form, function and beauty of this product matched perfectly and it is, therefore, timeless. Numerous designers, such as Susi and Ueli Berger, was based on the Bill, and the Swiss Werkbund established guidelines.
Kunstmuseum Winterthur
The town house, Museumstr. 52
Vernissage: Fr 18.30
Tue 10-20, Wed–sun 10-17
To 2.2.2020
www.kmw.ch
(Züritipp)
Created: 11.04.2019, 10:05 p.m.
