Jean Paul Najar Foundation showcased the works of Marcel Breuer, exploring the Bauhaus school’s influence on design, its significant impact on architecture as well as the movement’s relationship with The Middle East.

Building Bauhaus marked the 100th anniversary of the movement’s founding by architect Walter Gropius. Established in 1919 in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus was one of the most influential schools of the twentieth-century. Through student exercises, iconic design objects, photography, textiles, and archival material, the exhibition explores the school’s pioneering approach to art education, its influence on design and its significant impact on architecture showcased through the work of Marcel Breuer, one of the most notable figures to come out of the Bauhaus. The exhibition also shed light on the movement’s influence and relationship to our region, revisiting key buildings across the Middle East, including our house, Jean Paul Najar Foundation, designed by architect Mario Jossa of Marcel Breuer & Associates.

About Alserkal Avenue

Established by Alserkal in 2008, Alserkal Avenue is a renowned cultural district of contemporary art galleries, non-profit organisations, and homegrown businesses in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai. Spread across 500,000 square feet, Alserkal Avenue is a vibrant community of visual and performing arts organisations, designers, and artisanal spaces that have become an essential platform for the development of the creative industries in the United Arab Emirates. As one of the region's foremost platforms for contemporary art, Alserkal Avenue provides cultural experiences for local, regional, and international audiences.

Alserkal Avenue features Concrete, a multi-disciplinary space conceptualised and programmed by Alserkal. Concrete was inaugurated in 2017 as the first building in the UAE to be completed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), founded by Rem Koolhaas. An adaptable venue, Concrete's ability to metamorphose to bring creative visions to life makes it suitable for international, museum-grade exhibitions as well as events across art, design, fashion and the performing arts.

Concrete has been shortlisted for the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, marking the first time a project in Dubai has been shortlisted for this prestigious award. This is also the first time a project by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture has been shortlisted.

Founded by Emirati businessman and patron, Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, in 2007, Alserkal is a socially responsible cultural enterprise, which is deeply engaged with the arts locally, regionally, and internationally. Through Alserkal Avenue, Alserkal has cultivated a creative economy in Dubai, supporting cultural production and spearheading disruptive business models, including the OMA-designed Concrete.

Image Credits

Thumbnail Image:
Anni Albers, Untitled, 1926, On loan from Christopher Farr, London
Designed in association with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.

Header:
Bauhaus Building, Dessau, 1925-1926: Workshop wing from the southwest, Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Ise Gropius, © President and Fellows of Harvard College