Sibyl Moholy-Nagy
Encyclopedia
Sibyl Moholy-Nagy was the daughter of Werkbund architect Martin Pietzsch and an architectural and art historian. Originally a German
citizen, she became the second wife of the Hungarian Bauhaus
artist László Moholy-Nagy
and accompanied him in his move to the United States
. She is the author of one of the most important and influential studies of his work, Moholy-Nagy: Experiment in Totality, plus several other books on architectural history.
on October 29, 1903 to architect Martin Pietsch and Fanny Clauss Pietzsch. After attending the University of Dresden, she became an actress, performing in several films. She eventually became a scriptwriter, and in the late 1920s, met Bauhaus
-trained artist and photogpher Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
(1895-1946) while working on a film script. The two became very close, and were married in 1932. The had two daughters, Hattula (born 1933), and Claudia (1936-1971). After residing together in Germany for over a year and a half, they left due to the rise of Nazism
. In 1934, they settled in Amsterdam
, and then London
for two years.
In 1937, the family moved again to the United Sates, settling in Chicago
. Here Sibyl assisted her husbnd in establishing the New Bauhaus, which opened in October 1937. The School enjoyed a two year run before closure. Sibyl also helped her husband establish the School of Design
, also in Chicago, in 1939.
After Laszlo's death in November, 1946, Sibyl decided she would become a teacher. Her first book, a biography on her husband, Moholy-Nagy: Experiment in Totality, established her as an academic. In 1951, she got a job as professor of architecture history at the Pratt Institute
in New York City
. She taugh courses on such subjects as urban history and design. She reamined at Pratt until her death.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Sibyl enjoyed a fulfilling career as an architecture critic, maintaining professional relationships with such figures as Walter Gropius
, and Carlos Raul Villanueva
(whom she would undertake an extensive study of his work). She also made numerous contributions to architecture magazines, and was one of the first critics to study Latin American architecture in-depth.
She died in New York City on January 8, 1971.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
citizen, she became the second wife of the Hungarian Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
artist László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
and accompanied him in his move to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She is the author of one of the most important and influential studies of his work, Moholy-Nagy: Experiment in Totality, plus several other books on architectural history.
Biography
Sibyl Pietzsch was born in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on October 29, 1903 to architect Martin Pietsch and Fanny Clauss Pietzsch. After attending the University of Dresden, she became an actress, performing in several films. She eventually became a scriptwriter, and in the late 1920s, met Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
-trained artist and photogpher Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
(1895-1946) while working on a film script. The two became very close, and were married in 1932. The had two daughters, Hattula (born 1933), and Claudia (1936-1971). After residing together in Germany for over a year and a half, they left due to the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. In 1934, they settled in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and then London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for two years.
In 1937, the family moved again to the United Sates, settling in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Here Sibyl assisted her husbnd in establishing the New Bauhaus, which opened in October 1937. The School enjoyed a two year run before closure. Sibyl also helped her husband establish the School of Design
School of Design
School of Design may refer to:* Carnegie Mellon School of Design* The School of Design, the organization that stages the annual New Orleans parade, Rex* University of Pennsylvania School of Design* Parsons The New School for Design...
, also in Chicago, in 1939.
After Laszlo's death in November, 1946, Sibyl decided she would become a teacher. Her first book, a biography on her husband, Moholy-Nagy: Experiment in Totality, established her as an academic. In 1951, she got a job as professor of architecture history at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She taugh courses on such subjects as urban history and design. She reamined at Pratt until her death.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Sibyl enjoyed a fulfilling career as an architecture critic, maintaining professional relationships with such figures as Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
, and Carlos Raul Villanueva
Carlos Raúl Villanueva
Carlos Raúl Villanueva was the most prominent Venezuelan architect of the 20th century and one of the great Modernists. He played a major role in the development and modernization of Caracas, Maracay and other cities across the country...
(whom she would undertake an extensive study of his work). She also made numerous contributions to architecture magazines, and was one of the first critics to study Latin American architecture in-depth.
She died in New York City on January 8, 1971.
Books
- Moholy-Nagy: Experiment in Totality. New York: Harper Brothers, 1950. (Rev. Ed., MIT Press, 1969)
- Native Genius In Anonymous Architecture. New York: Horizon Press, 1957.
- Carlos Raul Villanueva and the Architecture of Venezuela. New York: Praeger, 1964.
- Paul Klee: Pedagogical Sketchbook (Introduction and translations/descriptions). Prager, 1968
- Matrix of Man: An Illustrated History of Urban Environment. Preager, 1968