ABSTRACT
There is nothing surprising about the fact that the Bauhaus, obliged to fend off an almost ceaseless stream of attacks from outsiders, arranged exhibitions as public relations events designed to legitimate its existence. The promotional activities of the Bauhaus—in contemporary accounts occasionally criticized as overdone (see Chapter 1)—were probably structurally necessary if the facility’s survival was to be ensured. Apparently it would be wrong to restrict considerations of the strategies of self-presentation undertaken by the Bauhaus to its exhibition activities alone. But still, as a point of crystallization, the exhibitions are invaluable in the effort to clarify the manner in which public relations instruments were applied, when they were introduced, and with which aims. In addition, the Bauhaus continued to execute commissions for exhibition designs of companies on occasion of trade fairs and other events; these are valuable to illuminate the artistic approach 2 but of little relevance for our understanding of Bauhaus self-presentation. Therefore this chapter focuses chiefly on the several Bauhaus shows of the period.
