BERLIN

ORIGINAL BAUHAUS
2019 – 2020

The Bauhaus existed in Germany for only 14 years, but its ideas have been carried forward, reinterpreted, and redeveloped for over a century. To mark its centenary, the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung’s exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie showcased over 1,000 original works—telling the stories behind famous, lesser-known, and forgotten Bauhaus pieces while exploring contemporary perspectives on its legacy. Structured around 14 key objects, the exhibition presented 14 compelling case studies: What made the woman seated on the tubular steel chair the most famous anonymous symbol of the Bauhaus? Why have Marianne Brandt’s tea infusers, originally intended as industrial prototypes, never gone into mass production but remained unique, handcrafted pieces?

The exhibition attracted more than 130,000 visitors and garnered significant media attention. I was responsible for directing the marketing and PR campaigns, establishing new cultural collaborations—including with Highsnobiety—and introducing innovative approaches to advertising and content strategy. Up to that point, it was the most successful exhibition in the history of both the Bauhaus-Archiv and the Berlinische Galerie. 

Digital campaign: We worked with Henne / Ordnung to produce four teaser videos, each focused on a core question from different sections of the exhibition. The teasers were created in both German and English and distributed through cinema advertising and across social media platforms. To underscore a key theme of the exhibition—the relationship between originals and copies, and the broader ideas of reproduction and re-edition—we incorporated a distinctive copy/paste visual effect throughout the videos.

Who is this woman? (above) features the unknown figure seated in Marcel Breuer’s chair—an image that brings together the essence of Bauhaus: design, furniture, textiles, theatre, and myth, all captured in a single frame.

How did the Bauhaus become famous? (below) focuses on one of the school’s early marketing strategies: the global distribution of postcards promoting its ideas, a campaign actively led by Walter Gropius. 

Marianne Brandt is at the center of the teaser Why is this tea infuser so special? It highlights one of the most fascinating stories of the Bauhaus: how a design created for mass production remained a unique piece—and what this reveals about the role of women at the school. 

There were several versions of Oskar Schlemmer’s famous Bauhaus staircase—but which one is the original, and which are the copies? This teaser explored exactly that question, with the answer revealed in the exhibition itself. 

Trailer: The 82-second trailer featured curator Nina Wiedemeyer guiding viewers through the centenary exhibition, offering a brief preview of what visitors could expect. The trailer opened with selected quotes from press reviews and was used for both cinema and digital advertising. 

Ad campaign featuring Bauhaus icons: The unknown woman seated in Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair, the sculpture by Takehiko Mizutani, figures from Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet, and Marianne Brandt’s legendary teapot—all featured in the exhibition. We incorporated a copy-paste visual effect to underscore themes of reproduction and re-edition central to the show. The campaign, designed by L2M3, was featured in out-of-home advertising as well as in magazines and newspapers.  

Special editions: To maximize public engagement with the anniversary and the original bauhaus exhibition, three special editions were produced by prominent German media outlets: Welt, Bild, and the art magazine Weltkunst.  

TV Documentary: Aired by the BBC to celebrate the Bauhaus centenary, this film explores how the Bauhaus transcended the role of a traditional art school. It pioneered a transformative vision that redefined design and creativity by merging artistic expression with technology and everyday living, leaving an enduring legacy on contemporary culture. 

Window Display Advertising: Ad for the exhibition with a reference to the Berlinische Galerie. The interim location of the Bauhaus-Archiv, the temporary bauhaus-archiv in Berlin-Charlottenburg, recorded over 80,000 visitors in 2019, indicating strong public interest in the centenary.

Brand Partnerships: The Bauhaus centenary provided an ideal opportunity for brand partnerships—most notably with Highsnobiety, a globally influential lifestyle platform focused on fashion and design. Together, we developed the Bauhaus-Archiv x Highsnobiety collection, which was sold both online worldwide and in the department stores of the KaDeWe Group in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. The limited edition drew inspiration from original Bauhaus works and typography, creating a strong connection to contemporary trends and popular culture—areas still deeply influenced by the Bauhaus legacy. 

The collection consisted of unisex T-shirts, sweatshirts, and accessories. 

The sales areas were prominently positioned at KaDeWe Berlin, Oberpollinger Munich, and Alsterhaus Hamburg. Following its success, Highsnobiety launched a second Bauhaus-Archiv collection in 2024. 

© Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin 

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