A new episode of bauhaus faces is out now. This time, I’m joined by Chilean architect and historian Daniel Talesnik to explore the story of a remarkable group of Bauhaus students—through the life of one of them: Tibor Weiner.

Weiner was part of the circle around Hannes Meyer, the second director of the Bauhaus—a group often referred to as the “Red Bauhaus Brigade.” After Meyer’s dismissal in 1930, he relocated to the Soviet Union, and a number of his students followed, hoping to continue their work and ideals abroad.

In our conversation, Daniel traces what he calls the “Itinerant Red Bauhaus" or "The Third Emigration,” following these architects as their paths diverged across the Soviet Union, and beyond. At the center is Weiner’s own journey—from Moscow to Paris, on to Chile, and eventually back to his home Hungary after the Second World War. His story reflects the broader reality many of them faced: architecture not just as a discipline, but as a means of survival in a century marked by political upheaval.

Daniel and I will be back soon with a bonus episode, taking a closer look at other Red Bauhaus Brigade members Konrad Püschel (who was sent to North Korea), René Mensch (who ended up in Iran), and Philipp Tolziner (who was imprisoned for 10 years in a Soviet Gulag and then became one of the first monument preservationists of the Soviet Union).

You can find the episode now wherever you listen to podcasts—and if you enjoy bauhaus faces, please consider leaving a 5-star-review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or sharing it with someone who might be interested.

SHOW NOTES

[Daniel Talesnik: The Itinerant Red Bauhaus, or the Third Emigration, 2016

Daniel Talesnik: "Moving Away to the Other End of the World: Reflections on the Letters Between Tibor Weiner and Hannes Meyer from the DAM Archive", 2019

Tatiana Efrussi: _Hannes Meyer: Soviet Architect. Life and Work in the USSR, 1930–1936_, 2025](https://vernonpress.com/book/2222?srsltid=AfmBOorYsErRw9JadWblBKymuawZkcjLbhokMj7P6JvpzGc2_7LTe6Xl)

Astrid Volpert & Anja Guttenberger: "Gelobt, Verurteilt, Vergessen, Wiederentdeckt – 62 Bauhäusler*innen im Land der Sowjets", 2019

Philipp Tolziner: "Mit Hannes Meyer am Bauhaus und in der Sowjetunion", in: Hannes Meyer 1889–1954: Architekt, Lehrer, Urbanist, 1989, pp. 234-263

Tibor Weiner Papers at the Mai Magyar Építészet, Budapest

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In our first episode of 2026, we turn the spotlight on Florence Henri. Drawn to the Bauhaus less by its curriculum than by its people, Henri discovered photography through Lucia Moholy and never looked back. What began as an experiment became a radical reinvention: mirrors, props, fractured spaces — images that redefined modern photography. Henri stayed fiercely artistic, while mentoring a generation of women who would go on to shape the medium themselves: Dora Maar, Lisette Model, Gisèle Freund, Ilse Bing, and more.

In this episode I was joined by the head of the Florence Henri Archive Giovanni Battista Martini, art historian Paola Rosina, and curator Roberto Lacarbonara — in a truly Bauhaus-style multilingual conversation, recorded in Switzerland and brought to you in English. And there’s more to come: bonus episodes with deep dives into Henri’s most iconic photographs, and the full original interview in French/English.

🎧 Listen on bauhausfaces.com or on all major podcast platforms!

SHOW NOTES

bauhausfaces.com | @bauhausfacespodcast | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

29.8. – 10.1.2027 Exhibition on Florence Henri at Zentrum Paul Klee, Berne

OTHER PODCASTS

LUCIA MOHOLY | Robin Schuldenfrei

PAUL KLEE | Fabienne Eggelhöfer

ANNI & JOSEF ALBERS | Brenda Danilowitz

LITERATURE ABOUT FLORENCE HENRI

Ann und Jürgen Wilde: Florence Henri-Sammlung. Sprengel Museum Hannover, Hannover 1993

Muriel Rausch (Hrsg.): Florence Henri. Miroir des avant-gardes (1927–1940). Éditions Photosynthèses, Arles 2015

Anja Guttenberger: Florence Henri, p. 72–87, in: Fotografische Selbstportraits der Bauhäusler zwischen 1919 und 1933, PhD thesis, 2012, https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/fub188/8338/DissAnjaGuttenberger.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Anja Guttenberger: Florence Henri, https://bauhauskooperation.de/wissen/das-bauhaus/koepfe/biografien/biografie-detail/person-Henri-Florence-494

Annette Bußmann: Florence Henri, in: FemBio. Frauen-Biographieforschung, https://www.fembio.org/biographie.php/frau/biographie/florence-henri/

Works of Florence Henri at the ICP (International Center of Photography)

Works at Centre Pompidou

PODCAST LOGO

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In this very short episode, Giovanni Battista Martini, head of the Florence Henri Archive in Genoa, and the Italian art historians Paola Rosina and Roberto Lacarbonara will describe their favourite photo by Florence Henri in more detail for you. Please look out for the images on your smartphone or tablet while listening. As always, I added the photos to the chapters.

🎧 Listen on bauhausfaces.com or on all major podcast platforms!

SHOW NOTES

bauhausfaces.com | @bauhausfacespodcast | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

COVER PHOTO

Florence Henri: Self-portrait, 1930, Florence Henri Archive / © Galleria Martini e Ronchetti

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Florence Henri: "Portrait composition" (Von Von), 1937, Florence Henri Archive / © Galleria Martini e Ronchetti

Florence Henri: "Femme aux cartes," 1930, Florence Henri Archive / © Galleria Martini e Ronchetti

Florence Henri: "Fênetre" (Windows, Bauhaus Dessau), 1927, Florence Henri Archive / © Galleria Martini e Ronchetti

BONUS EPISODE – FRANCAIS

Deuxième épisode bonus de bauhaus faces — et une conversation résolument multilingue !

Autour de la peintre et photographe Florence Henri, j’échange avec Giovanni Battista Martini, Paola Rosina et Roberto Lacarbonara dans un dialogue mêlant français et anglais, fidèle à l’esprit du Bauhaus et au croisement des cultures.

Il existe également un épisode principal entièrement en anglais, ainsi qu’un premier bonus en anglais dans lequel les trois invités présentent et analysent chacun leur photographie préférée de Florence Henri.

Un triptyque d’épisodes pour explorer en profondeur l’œuvre et l’héritage de Florence Henri — entre langues, perspectives et regards passionnés.

🎧 Écoutez sur bauhausfaces.com ou sur toutes les principales plateformes de podcasts !

SHOW NOTES

bauhausfaces.com | @bauhausfacespodcast | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

COVER PHOTO

Florence Henri: Self-portrait, 1928, Florence Henri Archive / © Galleria Martini e Ronchetti

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The last episode of 2025 is here! And it's about Ludwig Hilberseimer. Never heard of him? No problem! bauhaus faces will help you out.

Only few of the houses Hilberseimer planned were built. He was much more concerned about the bigger picture: How does the modern city, especially the metropolis, need to be organized to meet people's needs? His futuristic-looking draft of a Highrise City from 1924 with floating bridge pavements high above the streets, skyscrapers as apartment buildings, and a plant-less, sterile surrounding was certainly a real shocker. A "necropolis" rather than a metropolis. That high-rise apartment buildings would soon become reality, only a few of his contemporaries of the 1920s believed.

With the help of the architectural historians Ute Poerschke and Kevin Harrington we will shine a light on Ludwig Hilberseimer.

🎧 Listen on bauhausfaces.com or on all major podcast platforms!

SHOW NOTES

LITERATURE BY LUDWIG HILBERSEIMER

LITERATURE ABOUT LUDWIG HILBERSEIMER

ARCHITECTURE BY LUDWIG HILBERSEIMER

FILM "Das wachsende Haus" (The growing house), 2020

PODCAST EPISODES

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In this new episode of bauhaus faces, we dive into the life and work of Hans Fischli. Often overlooked in broader Bauhaus stories, Fischli worked across architecture, painting, sculpture, and teaching—leaving a mark that’s still felt today.

To get a sense of his impact, I spoke with the people who knew him best: his son, the artist Peter Fischli; his grandson, curator Fredi Fischli, who is currently preparing an exhibition on Hans Fischli at Zentrum Paul Klee in Berne; and his granddaughter, the artist Gina Fischli. Together, they share personal stories and reflections on their (grand-)father’s architectural and artistic work.

🎧 Listen on bauhausfaces.com or on all major podcast platforms!

SHOW NOTES

EXHIBITION OF HANS FISCHLI'S WORK JAN 24 2026 bis APRIL 26, 2026 AT ZENTRUM PAUL KLEE

GLOSSARY

LITERATURE ABOUT HANS FISCHLI

Karl Jost: Hans Fischli. Architekt, Maler, Bildhauer, Zürich: gta, 1992

Hans Fischli. Meilen, Ortsmuseum Meilen, 1990

Hans Fischli: Rapport bebildert, Zürich, 1978

TV INTERNIEWS WITH HANS FISCHLI

Das Monatsmagazin, „Die drei Berufe des Hans Fischli“, 17 Oct 1979, SRF,

WORKS AND LETTERS BY HANS FISCHLI

COVER PHOTO Portrait of Hans Fischli, https://www.baukultur-waedenswil.ch/fischli-hans.html

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In the latest episode of “bauhaus faces,” we dive into the remarkable story of another iconic Bauhaus couple: Anni and Josef Albers. Their lives and legacies are deeply intertwined— from their first meeting in 1922 in Weimar to their lasting impact on art, design, and education in the US.

Anni, who would later shortly lead the weaving workshop at the Bauhaus and then at Black Mountain College, and Josef, a visionary "young master" of the preliminary course, fled Nazi persecution in 1933. In the U.S., they helped shape the Black Mountain College and continued to innovate—Anni in textiles and jewelry, Josef in teaching and painting. Inspired by their travels to Mexico and their love for geometric forms, their art resonates to this day.

Join me and Brenda Danilowitz, Chief Curator of The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, as we explore the incredible journey of this Bauhaus power couple.

SHOW NOTES

The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation | @albersfoundation (Instagram)

PHOTOS BY JOSEF ALBERS https://www.albersfoundation.org/art/highlights/andreas-grote-frühjahr-30-mama-andreas-grote-spring-30-mother | https://www.albersfoundation.org/art/highlights/tenayuca-mexico_1976-7-632 | https://www.albersfoundation.org/art/highlights/aspen-summer-51

ANJA GUTTENBERGER: „Festive and Theatrical. The Mask Photos of Gertrud Arndt and Josef Albers as an Expression of Festival Culture“, https://www.bauhaus-imaginista.org/articles/4273/festive-and-theatrical

HOMAGE TO THE SQUARE SERIES https://www.albersfoundation.org/art/highlights/study-for-homage-to-the-square-lone-light

JOAQUÍN BARRIENDOS: „Josef Albers and the Pre-Columbian Artisan“, https://www.bauhaus-imaginista.org/articles/6263/josef-albers-and-the-pre-columbian-artisan

JEAN CHARLOT: „Nature and the Art of Josef Albers,” College Art Journal 15, no. 3, Spring 1956, https://vault.jeancharlot.org/english-texts/1956%20Nat%20Art%20Albers.pdf

MEANDER WEAVINGS https://www.albersfoundation.org/art/highlights/red-meander | https://www.albersfoundation.org/art/highlights/black-white-gold-i

JEWELRY BY ANNI ALBERS https://www.albersfoundation.org/tags/jewelry

BRENDA DANILOWITZ, "Working From Where We Are – Anni Albers’ and Alex Reed’s Jewelry Collection", https://www.bauhaus-imaginista.org/articles/3094/working-from-where-we-are

DIY: Washer and ribbon neon necklace tutorial http://maikonagao.blogspot.com/2013/04/diy-washer-and-ribbon-neon-necklace.html

STEN NADOLNY, "ULLSTEINROMAN" (2003): ⁠https://www.ullstein.de/werke/ullsteinroman/taschenbuch/9783548269863⁠

COVER PHOTO: Josef and Anni Albers in Dessau, Germany, ca. 1925, Photographer unknown, Courtesy the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation

She was more than a textile designer—Léna Meyer-Bergner was a force for education and for social change. While her husband, Hannes Meyer, is often remembered as the Bauhaus’ second director, Lena’s groundbreaking work in design, pedagogy, and social transformation is finally stepping into the spotlight.

In this episode, I sat down with two leading art historians – Sandra Neugärtner and Viridiana Zavala – to explore the unknown story of Léna Meyer-Bergner. From her studies at the Bauhaus to her visionary approach to modernism in the Soviet Union and on to her graphic talent in exile in Mexico, we explore how her work evolved.

🎧 Listen now and discover why Léna Meyer-Bergner deserves a place at the center of Bauhaus history.

SHOW NOTES

Website of Sandra Neugärtner’s research project](https://sandra-neugaertner.com/projects/)

PUBLICATIONS BY SANDRA NEUGÄRTNER

PUBLICATIONS BY VIRIDIANA ZAVALA

OTHER PUBLICATIONS ABOUT LÉNA MEYER-BERGNER

WORKS BY LENA MEYER-BERGNER

COVER PHOTO Portrait of Léna Meyer-Bergner (detail), 1942, private estate

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Léna Meyer-Bergner fue más que una diseñadora textil: Léna Meyer-Bergner fue una fuerza impulsora de la educación y el cambio social. Aunque su esposo, Hannes Meyer, segundo director de la Bauhaus, es muy conocido, el trabajo pionero de Lena en el diseño, la pedagogía y la transformación social está finalmente saliendo a la luz.

En este episodio, me senté con la historiadora de arte mexicana Viridiana Zavala para explorar la desconocida historia de Léna Meyer-Bergner: desde sus estudios en la Bauhaus hasta su enfoque visionario del modernismo en la Unión Soviética y su talento gráfico en el exilio en México, exploramos cómo evolucionó su obra.

🎧 Escucha ahora y descubre por qué Léna Meyer-Bergner merece un lugar en el centro de la historia de la Bauhaus.

SHOW NOTES

@viryzavalar

PUBLICACIONES DE VIRIDIANA ZAVALA

OTRAS PUBLICACIONES SOBRE LÉNA MEYER-BERGNER EN INGLÉS Y ALEMÁN

OBRAS DE LENA MEYER-BERGNER

FOTO DE PORTADA Retrato de Léna Meyer-Bergner en su telar en Ginebra, Suiza, de: Arquitectura y Decoración, n.º 16, 1939

IMÁGENES DEL CAPÍTULO

"Bill always said that he also went to the Bauhaus to find clarity. And that is a process. You don't just have clarity, you have to earn it." (Angela Thomas)

For this brand-new episode, I travelled to Zumikon to visit Angela Thomas and Erich Schmid in their house - Haus Bill. This house, which looks somehow unremarkable from the outside but is amazingly light, open, and welcoming and on the inside, was built by the Swiss architect and designer Max Bill in 1967–68. His second wife and widow, Angela Thomas, lives there today with her husband, the filmmaker Erich Schmid, who made a film about Bill entitled “Max Bill – Das absolute Augenmaß/The master's vision”.

Max Bill established himself in art history as the architect and first director of the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm (also known as HfG Ulm or in English the Ulm School of Design). And that is exactly the reason why I also interviewed the head of the HfG Ulm archive, Martin Mäntele, regarding all questions around the official successor of the Bauhaus. Because that is what Bill intended to do in Ulm – to continue the Bauhaus as if it had never been closed in 1933. And he had Walter Gropius’s blessing, too, and the financial support by the Americans.

LOOK OUT FOR 2 BONUS EPISODES with the original Interviews that will be published in the next 2 weeks!

SHOW NOTES

HAUS BILL, ZUMIKON https://www.maxbill.ch/

FILM

BOOKS ABOUT MAX BILL

ART BY MAX BILL

TAKEHIKO MIZUTANI’S SCULPTURE FROM THE BAUHAUS VORKURS

NUSCH ÉLUARD

ABSTRACTION–CRÉATION

ULM STOOL/ULMER HOCKER

JUNGHANS WATCH DESIGN

COVER PHOTO Still from the film „Max Bill - Das absolute Augenmass" by Erich Schmid

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