DESSAU.- The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation has been able to purchase a comprehensive collection of artistic works, photographs, textiles and architectural plans from the estate of Gertrud and Alfred Arndt with the support of the Kulturstiftung der Länder and Lotto Sachsen-Anhalt. The more than 550 objects reflect the multifaceted nature of the Bauhaus teaching and fill a gap in the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation's collection.

For the first time, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation was able to acquire part of the estate of Alfred and Gertrud Arndt. This was made possible by the sup-port of the Kulturstiftung der Länder and Lotto Sachsen-Anhalt. The collection consists of more than 550 objects - photographs, plans, graphics and tex-tiles. Its diversity also reflects the many facets of the Bauhaus school between art, craftsmanship, architecture and industry. As the works were pre-viously privately owned, they were hardly known to the public. For the foun-dation, the partial estate, which has now been taken over by the heirs, is therefore a stroke of luck.

Alfred Arndt (1898-1976) studied at the Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau from 1921 to 1927 and attended the preliminary course of Johannes Itten. From 1930 onwards, he headed the finishing department, later the building and fin-ishing department. In 1932, he left the Bauhaus and worked as a graphic de-signer and architect.

Gertrud Arndt (1903-2000) began her studies of weaving at the Bauhaus in 1924 and passed her journeyman's examination in 1927. Afterwards she devoted herself to photography, made "mask portraits" and self-portraits.

The partial estate includes, among other things, remarkable sketches that Alfred Arndt made in the preliminary course of Johannes Itten, as well as plans for the "House of the People" (1927) - a prime example of how the Bauhaus works, from planning to furnishing. Among Gertrud Arndt's works are textiles that give an insight into the experimental work in weaving, such as Modern and Vintage Prints. Her photographs, which have received little attention so far, also document the time at the Bauhaus Dessau.

"Purchases like this keep our collection alive. The partial estate of Gertrud and Alfred Arndt is a great gain for us, especially with regard to the presentation of the collection in the Bauhaus Museum Dessau on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of 2019. We would like to thank the Kulturstiftung der Länder and Lotto Sachsen-Anhalt for their support," says the director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Dr. Claudia Perren.

A particularly important task of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation is document-ing and researching the Bauhaus heritage. Among the approximately 40,000 objects in her historical collection are works and entire estates of 168 Bauhaus students and teachers.