Vortrag zur Ringvorlesung Bauhaus + Gender

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mary Pepchinski // Dresden: One is not born but rather one becomes a woman architect. Reflections on women architects in the 20th century, with special consideration of the Bauhaus students, Lotte Stam-Beese (1903-1988) and Wera Meyer-Waldeck (1906–1964).

Beginning around 1900, women increasing demanded the right to study architecture and to work in this profession. Although the Bauhaus under Walter Gropius (1919-1928) did not encourage women to pursue this subject, this resistance abated somewhat under the brief directorship of Hannes Meyer (1928-1930). This lecture highlights the lives and work of two remarkable women, Lotte Star-Beese and Wera Meyer-Waldeck, who subsequently were able to study architecture at Bauhaus and then went on to successful careers in post-war Europe. Their stories will be compared and contrasted with patterns found in the lives of other women architects in the twentieth century, to reflect upon how society at large can impact, encourage or limit a person’s ability to make meaningful contributions to architecture.

(Vortrag auf Englisch)