From the archives: Anni Albers

Anni Albers, Study for B, 1968
Gouache on Blueprinted Graph Paper. JAAF: 1994.10.25
44.133 x 35.243cm (17.375 x 13.875 inches)
©2003 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Anni Albers, C, 1969
Screenprint. JAAF: 1994.11.9
61 x 56 cm (24 x 22 inches)

©2007 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Anni Albers, Fox II, 1972
Screenprint. JAAF: 1994.11.24
61 x 50.8 cm (24 x 22 inches)
©2007 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

It's been a while since I dipped into the archives. But two things – a long and fruitless search for a rug, and the triangles post – got me thinking about Anni Albers (1899 – 1994). It's often the way in my head: two things bump together and shake something loose. I can't even recall how I was introduced to Albers' work. I'm pretty sure it was on a visit to the down at heel Bauhaus Museum in Berlin, where the work of students and teachers of the German design school were on display. Up until then I'd thought of the Bauhaus as a bit on the S&M side. You know, chrome and leather. But amidst all the hard lines and tough materials were works from the textile workshop. Unlike the other more forcefully forward-looking furniture department the textile arm of the school was like a little oasis of fuzz. Sure they displayed the Bauhaus' interest in geometry but the fabric fragments and floor coverings were soft, even a little folk. Anni Albers studied weaving (and fell in love with Josef, one of the teachers). They must have been something. I know Josef gets most of the kudos in their partnership but I prefer Anni's work. When I look at it I think of a wood pecker, just chipping away at the tree. Different decade, same project. The lady loved triangles.

The Albers Foundation is worth checking out.