The Paul Klee Center in Bern has opened the first solo exhibition in Switzerland dedicated to German-American Bauhaus artist Anni Albers (1899-1994), showcasing her revolutionary approach to textile art that transformed weaving from a domestic craft into industrial design. The exhibition, titled "Anni Albers: Constructing Textiles," displays her works like sparkling jewels in dimly lit rooms with purple walls, where textile pieces interwoven with gold and silver threads create a mesmerizing effect.

The exhibition represents a collaboration between the Paul Klee Center and the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Bethany, Connecticut. Chief curator Fabienne Eggelhöfer from the Paul Klee Center and Brenda Danilowitz, Chief Curator at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, jointly curated the show, which features works spanning Albers' entire career with a particular focus on her architectural interventions.

Textile art has experienced a significant resurgence in contemporary art in recent years, despite historically being dismissed as "women's hobby" and struggling for recognition in the art world. Feminist artists began reclaiming these undervalued techniques in the 1960s, transforming textile work into a subversive medium. However, thirty years before this feminist revival, weaving primarily served functional purposes, particularly at the Bauhaus.

The Bauhaus, the influential art school founded by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919, emphasized architecture as its central focus, with textiles serving to complement architectural spaces. Albers distinguished herself by connecting textile work with industrial production and establishing herself as both practitioner and theorist through extensive writing. Her philosophy emphasized that textiles should be both functional and sustainable – a remarkably contemporary approach to material conservation, as Eggelhöfer notes.

During her studies at the Bauhaus locations in Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin, Albers attended classes taught by Paul Klee (1879-1940). While she reportedly found his artwork more impressive than his teaching, his influence remained significant. The Bauhaus weaving workshop favored abstract, modern motifs over representational and floral designs, and Albers fully embraced this modernist aesthetic. Her 1927/1964 work "Black-White-Grey," produced in Gunta Stölzl's workshop, exemplifies this departure from traditional floral patterns.

The exhibition is organized into thematic chapters, with wall texts and projected black-and-white photographs providing intimate glimpses into Albers' personal life. These images show her peering seriously from behind a large coffee cup or leaning casually against a tree in a simple dress. According to Danilowitz, who knew the artist personally, Albers possessed a keen sense of humor that complemented her serious artistic pursuits.

A pivotal moment came in 1933 when the Bauhaus was forced to close under pressure from the National Socialists. Albers emigrated to the United States with her husband, Josef Albers (1888-1976), a German painter and art theorist. The couple undertook extensive travels to Mexico, Chile, and Peru, experiences that profoundly influenced Anni's subsequent work.

The exhibition dedicates an entire section to exploring how indigenous textile traditions influenced Albers' artistic development. She incorporated fine gold threads, which she associated with Incan craftsmanship, into her compositions. Her 1936 textile "Ancient Writing," crafted from rayon, linen, cotton, and jute, contains passages reminiscent of text blocks. Eggelhöfer observes that the etymological relationship between "text" and "textile" may not be coincidental, as viewers' eyes naturally follow the fine threads like deciphering secret writing.

Albers' architectural thinking became evident through her room dividers created from wood and fabric, inspired by Japanese residential design principles. This architectural integration reached a milestone in 1949 when the Museum of Modern Art in New York opened "Anni Albers Textiles" – marking the first time a female weaver received a solo exhibition at the prestigious institution.

The MoMA success led to significant commissions, including work for a Dallas synagogue where Albers created eight panels for the Torah ark. Her 1962 shrine covering for Congregation Bnai Israel in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, demonstrates her ability to create meaningful religious art despite having Jewish ancestry but not practicing religion herself. Her deeply personal work "Six Prayers" (1965-66) honored the six million Holocaust victims through six connected fabric panels interwoven with silver threads.

Albers' identity as primarily a designer becomes clear through her practical creations including curtain and bedspread designs. One particularly intriguing commission involved creating a carpet pattern for a psychoanalyst who, following Freudian practice, sat behind patients and desired an aesthetically pleasing view during sessions.

The comprehensive exhibition runs until February 22 at the Paul Klee Center in Bern, offering visitors an unprecedented opportunity to experience the full scope of Albers' contributions to textile art, industrial design, and the broader modernist movement that continues to influence contemporary artists and designers worldwide.