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How did Peter Behrens influence Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe?
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Industrial design
Octagonal electric teakettle of hammered silver, with cane-wicker handle, designed by Peter Behrens for AEG (Allgemeine ElektricitÀts Gesellschaft), Berlin, c. 1909.
Peter Behrens played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe by employing them in his office during the early 20th century. His influence on these future masters of modern architecture was profound in several key areas:12
- Synthesis of Art and Industry: As the artistic adviser for AEG, Behrens pioneered the role of the industrial designer, demonstrating how an artist could refine machine-made products and corporate identity. This work, which Gropius explicitly acknowledged as shaping his own interest in the interrelationship of the arts, provided a model for the Deutscher Werkbund goal of marrying art with technology.1324
- Modernist Principles: Behrensâ design of the AEG turbine factoryâa seminal work of modernismâinfluenced his protĂ©gĂ©s through its use of glass curtain walls and its function-driven, monumental form.15
- Professional Development: Working under Behrens allowed Gropius and Mies to witness firsthand the "total work of art" approach, which they later evolved through their own leadership at the Bauhaus school of design.35