Bauhaus Dessau Foundation

The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation is a Foundation (nonprofit organization) under public law. It is a centre of research, teaching and experimental design. The Foundation in its current form was founded by the German Federal Government, the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the town Dessau in 1994. It is based in the historical Bauhaus Building in Dessau-Roßlau. The Foundation’s staff with about 60 employees includes architects, town planners, sociologists, cultural scientists, artists and art historians.

After closing and expulsion of the historical Bauhaus in Dessau on 30 September 1932 a long time of 44 years had to pass, before the Bauhaus Building could be used again in its original sense. In 1976, 50 years after its construction, the GDR government had reconstructed the historical monument and founded a "Scientific and cultural Centre". Assembly of a Bauhaus collection of its own began and the Bauhaus stage was once again used for concerts and plays. In 1986 the GDR celebrated the reopening of the Bauhaus as a "Centre for Design", tied in the eastern Germany’s department of building.

After the German reunification it seemed to be completely unclear what the Bauhaus would evolve into during the following years. On 9 February 1994 the German Federal Government, the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the town Dessau finally founded the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.

Today, the Bauhaus Building in Dessau-Roßlau is one of Germany's World Heritage Sites.

From 1994 until 1998 Prof. Dr. Rolf Kuhn was the Executive Director of the Foundation. His successor Prof. Dr. Omar Akbar was in charge until 2009. Since 1 March 2009 the architect and publicist Prof. Philipp Oswalt is the head of the Foundation; his deputy is Dr. Regina Bittner, who is also responsible for the Foundation’s Academy.

Today, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation is based in the historic Bauhaus Building. As one of the cultural beacons in the new federal states, it is committed to conserving, researching into and passing on the Bauhaus legacy, while also finding solutions to the problems of designing today’s living environment. With its three sections – Collection, Workshop and Academy –, the Foundation addresses contemporary urban challenges, explores options for the future and develops stimuli for architecture, design and the performing arts.

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