Prism break: a new glass exhibition celebrates the Bauhaus colour wheel

Swiss expressionist painter, designer and theorist Johannes Itten (1888–1967) once said, ‘He who wishes to become a master of colour must see, feel, and experience each individual colour in its endless combinations with all other colours.’ He was among the first to identify contrasts and develop harmonious colour strategies. In 1919, Itten joined the Bauhaus faculty (then based in Weimar) at the behest of Walter Gropius, where he developed his pioneering ‘colour sphere’ – now the basis for many other schematics.
So to Lausanne, where a recently launched exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (MUDAC) pays tribute to Itten’s colour wheel with a vibrant crop of glass works by the likes of Gaetano Pesce, Tobias Rehberger, Salvador Dalí and more. Entitled ‘Chromatic’, the show explores the realm of colour from three different viewpoints: the scientific, the sensory and the playful.
The focus on glass is a deliberate nod to its prismatic qualities, and the show demonstrates the material’s flexibility with an array of pieces that span the startling to the simply beautiful. MUDAC’s conservation department has sourced the works from different realms of the glass world, honing in on sculptural one-off pieces, contemporary artworks and finally the design field, encompassing lighting fixtures, mirrors and vases.
Highlights in the show include Basel-based Matteo Gonet, Valérie Jacquemet and Jodoc Elmiger’s Giant Marble creations – now part of MUDAC’s permanent collection – and Maurice Ruche’s architectural cube. The works have been arranged rather pleasingly by hue – another nod to Itten’s colour wheel.
Itten’s time at Bauhaus was brief and, dare we say it, colourful. He insisted on crimson robes, shaved heads and colonic irrigation, and his nonconformist demeanour found itself increasingly at odds with Gropius’ conservative rationalism. He was eventually fired in 1923. Nonetheless, Itten paved the way for one of Bauhaus’ most prominent students and eventual teacher: Josef Albers. Itten may have caused discord at the German school, but there is nothing but harmony to found in ‘Chromatic’, a worthwhile tribute to the father of Bauhaus colour theory.
The show explores the realm of colour from three different viewpoints: the scientific, the sensory and the playful
MUDAC’s conservation department has sourced the works from different realms of the glass world, honing in on sculptural one-off pieces, contemporary artworks and the design field. Pictured: Hommage à Johannes Itten, by Camille Jacobs, 2011.
Mat cylinder with floating sun, by Tora Urup, 2014
Cube Architecturé, by Maurice Ruche, 1975
Installation view of 'Chromatic' at MUDAC, including Matteo Gonet's Giant Marble pieces (pictured in foreground), which have now been added to the museum's permanent collection
Coupe Rouge, by Frantisek Vizner, 1997
Blaue Pyramide, by Marian Karel, 1986
Yellow Magic, by Gernot Schluifer, 1988–1989
Gelbe Stela, by Lubomir Artzt, 1988
Unterbrochener Zirkel, by Milan Handl, 1988
The focus on glass is a deliberate nod to its prismatic qualities
The show demonstrates the material’s flexibility with an array of pieces that span the startling to the simply beautiful
INFORMATION
‘Chromatic’ is on view until 24 September 2017. For more information, visit the MUDAC website
ADDRESS
MUDAC
Place de la Cathédrale 6
1005 Lausanne
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Industrial chic meets Thai heat at the new incarnation of a beloved London restaurant
Singburi 2.0 brings all the hot and sour thrills of the original haunt in cool Shoreditch surrounds
-
Comfort, kit and enduring aesthetics make the Hyundai Santa Fe utilitarian and upmarket
Tough looks conceal premium features as Hyundai takes its plug-in hybrid SUV upmarket. Wallpaper* tries out the stylish new South Korean 7-seater
-
Goldwin 0’s first-ever performance wear is body-mapped to keep you cool
The ‘Performance Capsule’ from Goldwin 0 – an experimental offshoot of Japanese technical wear label Goldwin – draws inspiration from trail running for its meticulously tested sportswear, which uses experimental ventilation techniques to help you work out in the heat
-
12 things not to miss at Art Basel 2025
Art Basel is bigger and better than ever. Avoid overwhelm, follow our definite what-to-see guide at this year's event (19-22 June)
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been up to this week
This week saw the Wallpaper* team jet-setting to Jordan and New York; those of us left in London had to make do with being transported via the power of music at rooftop bars, live sets and hologram performances
-
Miami’s new Museum of Sex is a beacon of open discourse
The Miami outpost of the cult New York destination opened last year, and continues its legacy of presenting and celebrating human sexuality
-
Switzerland’s best art exhibitions to see in 2025
Art fans, here’s your bucket list of the standout exhibitions to see in Switzerland in 2025, exploring compelling themes and diverse media
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this week
A snowy Swiss Alpine sleepover, a design book fest in Milan, and a night with Steve Coogan in London – our editors' out-of-hours adventures this week
-
‘Happy birthday Louise Parker II’: enter the world of Roe Ethridge
Roe Ethridge speaks of his concurrent Gagosian exhibitions, in Gstaad and London, touching on his fugue approach to photography, fridge doors, and his longstanding collaborator Louise Parker
-
Lucia Moholy’s retrospective captures her life's work behind the lens
‘Lucia Moholy: Exposures’ is an appraisal of a true virtuoso of 20th-century photography, opening at Kunsthalle Prague
-
What to see at Art Basel 2024, as the fair arrives at its hometown
Art Basel 2024, the fair of all fairs, runs 13-16 June, with 285 international exhibitors and a long list of side shows and projects