Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy Comes to Chicago
László Moholy-Nagy was one of the most influential artists and designers of the 20th century. Born in Hungary, he was an artist, photographer, designer, filmmaker, writer, and educator whose experimental approach to art and technology helped shape modern design education in Chicago.
After the Bauhaus closed in Germany in 1933, Moholy-Nagy moved to London before coming to Chicago in 1937. That year, he became director of the newly established New Bauhaus, a Chicago design school organized with the support of the Association of Arts and Industries.
The New Bauhaus sought to bring the experimental and interdisciplinary principles of the German Bauhaus into an American setting. Its curriculum combined art and design with photography, architecture, materials, technology, and industrial applications.
The New Bauhaus closed after about a year because of financial difficulties. In 1939, Moholy-Nagy established a successor school, the School of Design, with support from industrialist Walter P. Paepcke and other backers. The school was renamed the Institute of Design in 1944 and became part of the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1949. Today, the Institute of Design at IIT traces its history to the New Bauhaus and Moholy-Nagy’s work in Chicago.
Art, Light, and Technology
Moholy-Nagy was fascinated by light, movement, photography, and technology. He experimented with photograms, abstract photography, photomontage, film, projection, transparent and reflective materials, and mechanically produced light effects.
One of his best-known works, the Light-Space Modulator, used mechanical movement, light, and reflective materials to create changing visual effects. His experiments reflected his belief that modern technology could expand the possibilities of artistic expression.
For Moholy-Nagy, art and technology were not separate fields. He believed that artists and designers should actively engage with the materials, processes, and technologies of the modern industrial world.
This combination of experimentation, technology, and interdisciplinary education made him one of the most forward-looking figures of the Bauhaus generation and an important influence on modern design education in Chicago.
Death
Moholy-Nagy continued to lead the Institute of Design until his death in Chicago on November 24, 1946. He is buried in Section C, Lot/Pathway: 923, Space 315.