Here stands a testament to revolutionary design. This blue plaque commemorates Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy. These three Bauhaus pioneers lived and worked here. They significantly contributed to art, architecture and design.
This plaque is on the Isokon building in Belsize Park. The Isokon building provided refuge for these artists. They fled mainland Europe and the rise of Nazism in the mid-1930s.
Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus school in Weimar in 1919. The school combined crafts and fine arts. It became known for pioneering approaches to design. The Bauhaus maintained constant contact with new ideas and technology. This led to groundbreaking designs. These designs had a lasting influence. Key Bauhaus figures gained a political reputation. This made them unpopular with the Nazi regime.
Marcel Breuer was a student at the Bauhaus. He later became director of furniture workshops in 1924. László Moholy-Nagy joined the staff in 1923. He edited the Bauhaus magazine and fourteen books. These books covered film, photography and architecture. After leaving the Bauhaus, all three had successful careers. They all lived in the Isokon Building.
The Isokon Building was completed in 1934. It was the first block of flats built in Britain in the modern style. It became a landmark in progressive architectural design. In 1936, the building’s communal kitchen became the Isobar restaurant. Marcel Breuer and FRS Yorke designed it. It became a creative hub for residents.
John Allan is the Chairman of The Isokon Gallery Trust. He stated that this plaque marks a significant milestone. It celebrates these three giants of modernism. It also gives further recognition to the Isokon Building. It was briefly their home and refuge.
The Isokon Gallery opened in 2014. It has welcomed over 15,000 visitors. They want to learn more about the Isokon story. These three Bauhauslers play an important part in this story. This blue plaque underlines the story’s enduring resonance.
The Lawn Road Flats were built for Jack Pritchard. Marcel Breuer designed chairs for Pritchard’s Isokon Furniture Company. The Isokon Gallery exhibition space tells the story. It also tells the story of its famous residents. Agatha Christie was also a resident.
So next time you pass by, remember this building. It was a haven for brilliant minds. It shaped modern design as we know it.