Design for wallpaper
(1930-1931)
Medium
gelatin silver photographs on card
Measurements
49.6 × 42.4 cm irreg. (image and sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Bowness Family Fund for Photography, 2024
© Elsa Thiemann
Gallery location
Special Exhibitions Gallery
Ground Level, NGV International
About this work
Elsa Thiemann trained in painting, graphic design and photography at the Bauhaus school. While there, she responded to an advertisement from school director Hannes Meyer for wallpaper designs to be considered for the new Bauhaus collection, planned for production by the wallpaper manufacturer Gebrüder Rasch. Thiemann’s designs used photograms of flowers and hand-coloured swirling patterns, which were meticulously cut, organised and pasted into repetitious symmetrical layouts. While her designs were not manufactured, likely due to their contrast with the brighter patterns ultimately selected for production, they remain as standalone works indicative of the experimental design being practised at the Bauhaus.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Dessau, Germany
Inscription
stamped in ink on support reverse c.: • NACHLASS • / 1910 / 1981 / ELSA • THIEMANN (all in a circle)
Accession Number
2024.600
Department
International Photography