Hans Ulrich Obrist on Art Education: From Bauhaus to Black Mountain College

Hans Ulrich Obrist reflects on the history of experimental art schools and their relevance for contemporary interdisciplinary education. He cites the Bauhaus, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, which integrated art, architecture, and design until its closure in 1933 under Nazi repression. That same year, Black Mountain College was established in North Carolina by John Andrew Rice, Theodore Dreier, Frederick Georgia, and Ralph Lounsbury, emphasizing holistic learning and interdisciplinary exchange. Josef Albers, a Bauhaus student and faculty member, led the painting program at Black Mountain, requiring only courses on form and materials and a Platonic monograph. Susan Weil recalled the importance of dining hall interactions with poets and musicians, while Dorothea Rockburne described the college as a paradise that influenced her teaching. Obrist also draws on his experience at the Städelschule in Frankfurt, where he worked with Kasper König, noting the school's interdisciplinary model and the adjacent Portikus exhibition space. He mentions the Institut des Hautes Études en Arts Plastiques in Paris, founded by Pontus Hulten with Daniel Buren, Saekis, and Serge Faucherau, which paid students and hosted weekly roundtables with leading thinkers. Philippe Parreno emphasized the seriousness and full funding of the program.