Main entry:

Pearlman, Judith, creator

Title & Author:

Bauhaus in America fonds, approximately 1930-2011

Description:

approximately 1706 photographic materials

Restrictions:

Please contact ref@cca.qc.ca to make an appointment to access this collection

Notes:
CONTENT WARNING: This fonds contains material that includes disturbing imagery of Nazis and crime-scenes. File-level descriptions of the records in the fonds contain more specific content warnings. Given the time periods that the research in this fonds covers, particularly WWII Germany, it is probable that further references to Nazi genocide and anti-Semitism are present. Please take care when consulting the fonds and finding aid.
Physical Characteristics / Technical Requirements: Original audiovisual materials require specialized equipment for playback and are not available for consultation
When citing the collection as a whole, use the citation: Bauhaus in America, Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal. When citing specific collection material, please refer to the object's specific credit line.
Authorization to quote or reproduce the audiovisual material in the collection requires written permission from the donor. For more information, please contact CCA at reproductions@cca.qc.ca.
The Getty Research Institute holds a collection of Judith Pearlman interviews with Bauhaus masters and students. While many of the recordings may be similar, it is possible that the Getty material particularly the transcripts and notes could be different to what is held at the CCA. For other material related to this fonds at CCA, see AP212: Building Seagram Research fonds and AP172: Mies in America research collection, particularly as Mies Van Der Rohe and the Seagram Building are touched upon in the research and film in this fonds. These related fonds go into more depth on the topics.
Primary in English, some in German and Russian
In 1989, the audiovisual collection of Bauhaus in America was purchased by the CCA and the collection was housed in the library. In 2023, the CCA acquired textual and photographic records that complimented the AV collection. At this time, it was decided to transfer the initial accession into the archives. In both instances, the records had been kept at the residence of Judith Pearlman in New York City prior to their arrival at the CCA.

Summary:

The Bauhaus in America fonds, circa 1930 - 2011, documents the research and production activities that went into producing the documentary film Bauhaus in America (1995) directed by Judith Pearlman. Material in the fonds consists of research in the form of photographs, textual records, publications, and ephemera from institutions in Germany and the United States. The fonds also contains film, video, and audio recordings that were used for preliminary research and compiled into the finished film. The recordings are primarily interviews with Bauhaus-related individuals. There is also material related to publishing activities based on the research for the film.

Biographical note:

Bauhaus in America is a 1995 documentary film directed and produced by Judith Pearlman. The directors of photography are Terry Hopkins and Mike Molloy. The Canadian Centre for Architecture is mentioned in the credits as assisting with picture and sound sync for the film. The film explores the impact that the Bauhaus Art School had on American architecture and design through interviews with former students. The Staatliches Bauhaus Art School was founded in Weimar, Germany on 1 April 1919 by Walter Gropius. Faculty members of the school included Gropius, Hannes Meyer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lyonel Feininger, Johannes Itten, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Gerhard Marcks, László Moholy-Nagy, Georg Muche, and Oskar Schlemmer [1]. The school eventually moved to Dessau, Germany from 1925-1932 then Berlin, Germany from 1932-1933 [2]. The school closed in April 1933 with director at the time, Mies, emigrating to the United States. The film features contemporary interviews with former students of the Bauhaus School from around the time of when the Nazis closed the school in 1933 and the resulting influence the school had on American art and design. Individuals featured in the film include Anni Albers, Edward Larabee Barnes, James Ingo Freed, Betrand Goldberg, Michael Graves, Helmut Jahn, Sidney Janis, Philip Johnson, Gyorgy Kepes, I.M. Pei, Stanley Tigerman, and Tom Wolfe. Research for this documentary includes interviews with key members of the Bauhaus School. These interviews formed the basis of the documentary with the compiled research also serving the writing of an article for the New York Times in 1983. Cliofilm was founded in 1985 by Judith Pearlman to produce primarily documentary films with related print and web material. Judith Pearlman is a writer and producer based in New York City. Her other films include Harkness Ballet (1967), The Idea of North (1970), and Brats: Our Journey Home (2006). [1] Reissinger, E. (2000). Bauhaus Weimar: Designs for the Future, page 8; [2] Reissinger, E. (2000), page 292.

Resources:
Finding aid

Subject:

Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969.
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1886-1969.
Bauhaus.
Bauhaus Influence.
Architecture United States History 20th century.
Architects United States Interviews.
Architecture New York (State) New York History.
Architecture Illinois Chicago History.
Architecture États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle.
Architectes États-Unis Entretiens.
Architecture New York (État) New York Histoire.
Architecture Illinois Chicago Histoire.
Architecture
United States

Form/genre:

fonds (collections)

Added entries:

Molloy, Mike.
Hopkins, Terry.
Albers, Anni.
Barnes, Edward Larrabee, 1915-2004.
Freed, James Ingo.
Goldberg, Bertrand, 1913-1997.
Graves, Michael, 1934-2015.
Jahn, Helmut, 1940-2021.
Janis, Sidney, 1896-1989.
Johnson, Philip, 1906-2005.
Kepes, Gyorgy, 1906-2001.
Lerner, Nathan, 1913-1997.
Pei, I. M., 1917-2019.
Tigerman, Stanley, 1930-2019.
Wolfe, Tom.
Cliofilm (Firm)

Bauhaus in America archive

Holdings:

Location: Library archives collection 188402
Call No.: AP217
Status: Available