Bauhaus Legacy
"Bauhaus Legacy" is an interview series exploring the legacy of Walter Gropius, founder of the legendary Bauhaus school in Germany (1919-1933) and one of the 20th century's most influential architects. This project is a collaboration with Historic New England who generously agreed to fund it as part of their ongoing preservation and education efforts related to the Gropius House (1938) in Lincoln, MA, where several of the interviews were filmed.
Lynette Roth
Lynette Roth is Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard University, home to over 30k Bauhaus-related works.
My discussion with Ms. Roth explored the history and contents of this important collection, the artists and ideas behind the Bauhaus, the Walter Gropius's role in bringing its legacy to Harvard.
I had the privilege of filming the interview in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, surrounded by an array of incredible Bauhaus pieces.
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Edward Nilsson
Edward Nilsson is a principle architect at Nilsson + Siden Associates.
We discussed his personal connection to the Gropius family; his fascinating work with The Architect's Collaborative (TAC), of which Gropius was a founding member; Modernism; and architectural preservation.
I was privileged to interview Mr. Nilsson in his stunning home, of his own design. His connections to the Gropius family and TAC, and his architectural knowledge made for a fascinating discussion.
Erika Pfammatter
Erika Pfammatter is the granddaughter of legendary Walter Gropius. She carries her grandfather's legacy and shares her family stories.
Ms. Pfammatter was a joy to interview, and she offered a wealth of fascinating, entertaining, and poignant first-hand information about her family.
To discuss a world-renowned figure like Gropius from such a personal and intimate perspective brings his humanity and warmth into sharp relief. To her, after all, Walter and Ise were simply her beloved grandparents
Dr. Sonja Kreibich
Dr. Sonja Kreibich is the German Consulate General for the New England states.
Our interview touched on many fascinating topics related to the Bauhaus - Modernist architecture and art, WW1 and 2, urban planning, German history and culture, international relations, and the vibrant Weimar era of 1920s Germany.
Dr. Kreibich's professional experience in the arena of US/German relations and diplomacy brought a wealth of interesting perspectives into the discussion.
Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams is an architect and was a neighbor and friend of the Gropius family during his childhood.
Our interview explored his personal memories of Walter Gropius and family, the lasting influence of Gropius's work, and his own architectural career.
Douglas is the nephew of notable modernist architect, John Quincy Adams, a contemporary of Gropius who also contributed to the architectural fabric of the area.
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Nevin Summers
Nevin Summers was Executive Director at MIT's Synthetic Biology Center.
His diverse background spans numerous fields - molecular biology, art, architecture, music, and real estate. These various perspectives, along with personal memories of the decade he spent in close connection with Walter's widow Ise Gropius, made for a wonderful interview.
While the Bauhaus was said to create everything from teacups to buildings, from the small to the large, Nevin's work in biotech explored architecture at the molecular level.
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Peter Chermayeff
COMING SOON
Peter Chermayeff is one of the founding partners of the acclaimed architecture firm, Cambridge Seven, and a family friend of Walter and Ise Gropius, whose whom he frequented in his youth.
This interview is unique in that it was conducted by Timothy Mansfield, current President and CEO of Cambridge Seven. Given their long-standing personal and professional relationship, the interview between Tim and Peter provided an especially personal and nostalgic conversation, full of fascinating stories and direct observations, not only of Walter Gropius, his family, and his house, but also of the Bauhaus and the Modernist movement more broadly.
Wolf Burchard
Wolf Burchard is the Curator of British Galleries at NY's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the great-grand nephew of Walter Gropius.
My discussion with Mr. Burchard explored his family's history, including stories passed down about Gropius and his family; the Bauhaus; the Gropius House in Lincoln; and memories of life in Germany during/after both World Wars.
Wolf's family memories and professional connection to the arts made for a wonderful discussion. The oral histories he shared provided a wealth of fascinating information.
