Bauhaus - Gunta Stölzl

Gunta Stölzl (5 March 1897 – 22 April 1983)

Gunta Stölzl, born in 1897, was a German textile artist who played a fundamental role in the Bauhaus, more specifically in the weaving workshop. Not only did she create change with her work, she made history, being the Bauhaus’ only female master. Joining the Bauhaus in 1920, she became a junior master in 1927 and in 1928, became a full master.

​In 1929 however, with the rapid change that was being seen in Weimar Germany, with the rise of the Nazis on the horizon, Stölzl had her German citizenship revoked for marrying Jewish man, Arieh Sharon, who later became a well known Israeli architect. However, Stölzl remained at the Bauhaus developing her textile work until 1931, when she was dismissed from the school for political reasons, only two years before the school would be forced to close permanently due to the overwhelming pressure from the Nazis.  

Upon joining the Bauhaus, Stölzl began in the weaving department, due to the underlying gender roles present during this time period. However, she was very active withing the department, and was able to reopen the previously abandoned dye studio at the Bauhaus, all whist continuously continuing to develop her techniques and style. In 1926, Stölzl returned to the Bauhaus, now located in Dessau. Here, she was paired with Georg Muche, but the weaving workshop was seen as being under her control and organisation as the pairing of Muche and Stölzl wasn’t enjoyed by either side. Thus, from 1926, Stölzl was running the workshop almost single-handedly, and soon led to her becoming a junior master, and soon a full master of the Bauhaus.

​Due to the lack of real teachers in the textiles and weaving department, Stölzl learnt techniques and construction, mainly through her own teaching that was then passed onto other students upon becoming a master. Throughout her years at the Bauhaus, Stölzl took part in many exhibitions, where she showed off her wall hangings, carpets and other textile works, most colourful and abstract in nature. As well as fabric works, many of her designs, painted in gouache and other mediums can still be found today. 

In her later years, Stölz continued her practise until the end of her life, and had had a rich life, expressed through her innovative and beautiful body of work. Textile art, owes a lot to Gunta Stölz and still continues to display her works in many museums around the world, from Europe to the USA to Japan; her work is well known and still well loved by many today. 

The Bauhaus masters on the roof of the new Bauhaus building, 1926 (Gunta is the only woman in the photograph)