A spectacular and unprecedented visual biography of the leading pioneers and protagonists of modern art and design Josef - painter, designer, and teacher - and Anni Albers - textile artist and printmaker - are among the twentieth century's most important abstract artists, and this is the first monograph to celebrate the rich creative output and beguiling relationship of these two masters in one elegant volume. It presents their life and work as never before, from their formative years at the Bauhaus in Germany to their remarkable influence at Black Mountain College in the United States through their intensely productive period in Connecticut. Accessibly written, the book is packed with more than 750 artworks, archival images, and documents - many published here for the first time - all tracing the remarkable lives and careers of this legendary couple. Dispersed throughout area series of short essays on artists that focuses on the Alberses relationship with a number of important artists and architects of the 20th century, like Ruth Asawa, Marcel Breuer, Merce Cunningham, Philip Johnson, Paul Klee, Jacob Lawrence, and many more. The beautifully cloth-bound package utilizes an elegant color palette and design that speaks to the work of both artists. This comprehensive visual biography showcases the artists' rich and dynamic lives, and their infinite influence on each other, as they shared the profound conviction that art was central to human existence.

A superb facsimile of the only known notebook of legendary artist Anni Albers, this publication offers insight into the methodology of a modern master. Beginning in 1970, Anni Albers filled her graph-paper notebook regularly until 1980. This rare and previously unpublished document of her working process contains intricate drawings for her large body of graphic work, as well as studies for her late knot drawings. The notebook follows Albers's deliberations and progression as a draftsman in their original form. It reveals the way she went about making complex patterns, exploring them piece by piece, line by line in a visually dramatic and mysteriously beautiful series of geometric arrangements. An afterword by Brenda Danilowitz, Chief Curator of The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, contextualizes the notebook and explores the role studies played in the development of her work.

Sie waren nicht nur zwei der herausragenden Künstler des Bauhaus, sondern zugleich auch ein bekanntes Paar. Von ihrem Leben und Schaffen zeugen ihre berühmten Werke sowie die von ihnen als Lehrer und Vorbilder geprägten Künstler. Das ist aber noch nicht alles, wie uns ein zeitgenössisches Künstlerpaar vor Augen führt: Das Fotografinnen- Duo Lake Verea hat in der Josef and Anni Albers Foundation den materiellen und gedanklichen Spuren der künstlerischen Schöpfungskraft im Nachlass nachgespürt. Briefwechsel mit Bauhaus-Kollegen, Farbtuben und Stofffasern werden dabei in außergewöhnlicher Haptik und Lebendigkeit erfasst. Das Sehen der Gegenstände verleiht der Vorstellungskraft Flügel. Denn unweigerlich sieht man durch die Dinge die beiden Künstler am Werk, die aus diesen Gegenständen, Gesprächen und Gedankengängen ihren ganz eigenen Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts formten.

This survey of textile fundamentals and methods, written by the foremost textile artist of the 20th century, covers hand weaving and the loom, fundamental construction and draft notation, modified and composite weaves, early techniques of thread interlacing, interrelation of fiber and construction, tactile sensibility, and design. 9 color illustrations. 112 black-and-white plates.

"Features all aspects of the artist's long career: paintings, prints, furniture, household objects, works in glass, photographs, and pre-Columbian sculptures"--

Small-Great Objects presents a remarkable look into the art-collecting practices of two of modern art's most widely influential figures, Anni (1899-1994) and Josef (1888-1976) Albers. Their impressive collection of over 1,400 objects from Latin America, namely Mexico and Peru, represents a conscious endeavor that goes well beyond that of a casual hobby, displaying a deep appreciation for the art, textiles, and overall ingenuity of the ancient American world. This insightful book draws on primary-source materials such as the couple's letters, personal papers, and archival photographs--many never before published--and demonstrates their conviction that these Prehispanic objects displayed a formal sophistication and bold abstraction that defy the prevalent conception of the works as "primitive." Moreover, it shows how the Alberses spread their appreciation of the ancient world to others, through their teachings, their writings, and their own art practices.

Among the foremost textile designers of the 20th century, Anni Albers was a central figure of the Weaving Workshop at the Bauhaus in prewar Germany. Accompanying a centennial retrospective of her work, this volume contains full-color reproductions of Albers's most important weavings, drapery materials and wall coverings, as well as scores of her highly influential commercial textile designs. Anni Albers had an enormous effect on the design of yard materials worldwide. A comprehensive illustrated chronology details her fascinating life and career in Germany and in the United States, where she moved in the 1930s with her husband, the famed painter and instructor Josef Albers.