Walter Gropius was a monumental figure in shaping modern architecture, as well as modern arts education. As director of the Bauhaus school from 1919 to 1928, Gropius innovated the approach of integrating crafts training into a traditional arts education, emphasizing the importance of understanding materials, process and working collaboratively. He also believed that architecture should relate to the contemporary world and its immediate needs, rather than rely on historical references or purely aesthetic concerns. Gropius was markedly unpretentious and created bright, open buildings with a keen understanding of how those spaces related to the needs of individuals and communities.
Gropius was born in Berlin in 1883, the son of an architect, and began his architectural studies in 1903. In 1907, he joined the Peter Behrens firm in Berlin, where his interest began to turn towards progressive ideals and the arts. In 1911, Gropius joined the Deutscher Werkbund, building a strong network of artists and designers, and became director of the Bauhaus in 1919, stepping down in 1928 to return to Berlin and open his own firm. In 1937, fleeing the Nazis, Gropius moved to Cambridge to teach at Harvard. He became the chair of the architecture department the following year, holding the position until his retirement in 1952. Gropius reformed the methodology of the department, thus prompting other architecture programs in the United States to modernize their approach to architecture education. Gropius died in Boston in 1969; his contributions to arts education and architecture are immeasurable, shifting the focus of both to a more considered, lucid and cooperative contemporary philosophy.
