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Herbert Bayer

Austrian, American, 1900-1985

The Austrian-born Herbert Bayer is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential graphic artists of his time, but his extensive achievements span a spectrum of disciplines. The artistic polymath made his mark as a photographer and master of photomontage, a typography creator, magazine art director, advertising guru, architect and more.

As a student in the early 1920s at the Bauhaus — the revolutionary German art and design school in Weimar that sought to integrate art and design into daily life — Bayer studied under Russian-born Wassily Kandisnsky, who became his mentor, and was greatly influenced by Kandinsky’s book Concerning the Spiritual in Art, heartily embracing its premise that the arts can and should serve society.

Bayer left the Bauhaus in 1923 to tour Italy with a friend, then rejoined two years later, hired to teach advertising, design and typography at the school’s new home, in Dessau. There, he designed catalogues, featuring photography and machine-based printing, that promoted Bauhaus-made “goods for the home,” including handmade furniture, wallpaper and housewares. And he created a new “universal” alphabet: a streamlined sans serif restricted to lower-case letters that became the Bauhaus’s signature font.

Bayer quit teaching at the Bauhaus along with founder Walter Gropius and fellow teachers Marcel Breuer and László Maholy-Nagy when the school’s finances grew strained. He became the art director of German Vogue, moving on, when the magazine closed during the Depression, to the ad agency Dorland International, where he created the advertisements for clothing, textiles, toothpaste and nose drops on view. He also did magazine covers and outdoor billboards and masterminded the design of several important international exhibitions, including the German section of the 1930 Exposition de la Société des artistes décorateurs in Paris.

By 1938, Bayer had become dismayed by the political situation in Germany, and at the invitation of Gropius — who was then chair of the architecture department at Harvard, having fled the Nazi regime in 1934 — he left for the United States. Gropius had been asked to curate an exhibition on the Bauhaus for the Museum of Modern Art, but he didn’t have time and so asked Bayer to help. Bayer ultimately did it all, including gathering material in Germany, creating the exhibition plan and overseeing the catalogue. The show traveled throughout the U.S., and Bayer’s stateside career took off.

In the early 1940s, Bayer served as chief art director at Wanamaker’s and worked in advertising and package design at J. Walter Thompson. In 1945, he began a long stint working full-time at the Container Corporation of America (CCA). He created CCA’s long-running series “Great Ideas of Western Man,” which aimed to enlighten the public through inspiring quotes. Additionally, Bayer designed sculptures, wall murals, furniture, earth art and buildings for the Aspen Institute between 1946 and 1975.

Bayer’s work demonstrates how one man, and one school, changed the evolution of contemporary graphics in America over a 40-year period.

Find original Herbert Bayer prints and paintings on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Herbert Bayer
Bauhaus 1919-1928 (1st Edition)
Bauhaus 1919-1928 (1st Edition)

Bauhaus 1919-1928 (1st Edition)

By Walter Gropius, MOMA Museum New York, Herbert Bayer

Located in New York, NY

First edition of the iconic monograph published in conjunction with an exhibition organized by Philip Johnson and held in 1938 at the Museum of Modern Art New York marking the tenth ...

Category

1930s American Bauhaus Vintage Herbert Bayer

Materials

Paper

Fortune Magazine, June 1942 (Herbert Bayer Cover Design)
Fortune Magazine, June 1942 (Herbert Bayer Cover Design)

Fortune Magazine, June 1942 (Herbert Bayer Cover Design)

By Herbert Bayer

Located in New York, NY

The large-format, June 1942 issue of Fortune Magazine, a publication known for its powerful graphic design elements, especially cover designs, as well as for its reportage and featur...

Category

1940s American Bauhaus Vintage Herbert Bayer

Materials

Paper

Original Vintage Advertising Poster Bauhaus Exhibition Royal Academy Of Arts
Original Vintage Advertising Poster Bauhaus Exhibition Royal Academy Of Arts

Original Vintage Advertising Poster Bauhaus Exhibition Royal Academy Of Arts

By Herbert Bayer

Located in London, GB

Original vintage advertising poster for 50 Years Bauhaus German Exhibition held from 21 September to 27 October 1968 at the Royal Academy of Arts Piccadilly London W1 featuring minim...

Category

1960s British Vintage Herbert Bayer

Materials

Paper

1968 Bauhaus, Herbert Bayer Original Vintage Poster
1968 Bauhaus, Herbert Bayer Original Vintage Poster

1968 Bauhaus, Herbert Bayer Original Vintage Poster

By Herbert Bayer

Located in Winchester, GB

Austrian-American designer Herbert Bayer was one of Bauhaus' most influential students & teachers. Founded by Walter Gropius in 1919, the German art school ran for only 14 years howe...

Category

1960s German Vintage Herbert Bayer

Materials

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Electronics--A New Science for a New World (Herbert Bayer design)
Electronics--A New Science for a New World (Herbert Bayer design)

Electronics--A New Science for a New World (Herbert Bayer design)

By Herbert Bayer, General Electric

Located in New York, NY

Booklet touting the wonders of the nascent electronic era published in 1942 by the General Electric Company, “leader in radio, television, and electronic research.” Austrian-America...

Category

1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Herbert Bayer

Materials

Paper

Herbert Bayer Mid Century Art Red Transparency 1973 Screenprint
Herbert Bayer Mid Century Art Red Transparency 1973 Screenprint

Herbert Bayer Mid Century Art Red Transparency 1973 Screenprint

By Herbert Bayer

Located in Franklin Park, IL

Herbert Bayer Mid Century Art Red Transparency 1973 Screenprint This screenprint measures: 32.75 wide x 1 deep x 32.75 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studi...

Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Herbert Bayer

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Metal

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Herbert Bayer "Chromatic Twist" Screen Print, 1970s

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Herbert Bayer Wool Tapestry from the Atlantic Richfield Oil Corporation
Herbert Bayer Wool Tapestry from the Atlantic Richfield Oil Corporation

Herbert Bayer Wool Tapestry from the Atlantic Richfield Oil Corporation

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Located in Pawtucket, RI

Vibrant Op-Art handmade wool tapestry from Herbert Bayer, circa 1975. Measures 78 x 78 inches. Woven signature to verso: Bayer. Signed with applied fabric manufacturer's label to verso. Provenance: Atlantic Richfield Oil Corporation...

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Herbert Bayer "Striped Twists"
Herbert Bayer "Striped Twists"

Herbert Bayer "Striped Twists"

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Herbert Bayer "Striped Twists"

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Located in San Mateo, CA

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Herbert Bayer. 'Structure on Red'
Herbert Bayer. 'Structure on Red'

Herbert Bayer. 'Structure on Red'

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Located in Los Angeles, CA

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Herbert Bayer Surrealist Christmas Card: Happy 1973
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Herbert Bayer furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Herbert Bayer furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Herbert Bayer furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Herbert Bayer were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Otl Aicher, Paul Wunderlich, and Professor Fritz Klee. Prices for Herbert Bayer furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $600 and can go as high as $28,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,684.