The Deutscher Werkbund, or as it is known in english, the German Association of Craftsmen, was n organization founded in Munich in 1907. The philosophy behind the movement was very similar to the one upholded by the Arts and Crafts movements, that is, despite the ease of creating machine-produced goods, design should be 'good' and of a high quality such as products created through craftsmanship.
The organization in itself was made up of a collection of architects and artists, whose aim was to standardize and rationalize forms for machine production. They wanted to inspire design of the future, be it in mass-produced foods or architecture. As mentioned before, they were influenced by William Morris. In fact, they came up with an addition to William Morris' proposal and stated that the form should only be determined by the function of the object in question. They were also in favour of removing any type of ornamentation from design. Founding members such as Peter Behrens and Mies Van der Rohe wanted to diminish the distinction between product manufacturers and artists and designers alike.
The Werkbund was of great influence in the development of architecture and industrial design. For example, it was essential in the development of the Bauhaus school. Throughout the years, the organization was responsible for a number of exhibitions, a prominent one being the exhibition of industrial art and architecture in Cologne in 1914. This was a host to several important examples of architecture such as the Glass Pavilion designed by Bruno Taut, the Werkbund theatre designed by Henry van de Velde, the Administration Building by Walter Gropius and the Festival Hall by Peter Behrens.
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| The Werkbund Theatre designed by Henry van de Velde |
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| The Glass Pavilion designed by Bruno Taut |
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| The Administration Building designed by Walter Gropius |
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| The Festival Hall designed by Peter Behrens |
In 1933 the association was closed down due to the Nazi regime in Germany.
References
Encyclopedia Britannica, (2015). Deutscher Werkbund | German artists organization. [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/159862/Deutscher-Werkbund [Accessed 5 Dec. 2014].
Goethe.de, (2015). Architecture, Urban Space, City Research, Town Planning, Urban Development - City Arts - Goethe-Institut. [online] Available at: http://www.goethe.de/kue/arc/dos/dos/sls/sku/en2356119.htm [Accessed 5 Dec. 2014].
