(1888 - 1976)

"Art is revelation instead of information, expression instead of description, creation instead of imitation or repetition" - Josef Albers​

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Josef Albers was a German-born American artist and educator, renowned as a pioneer of 20th-century color theory and modernism, Albers' writing, and teaching demonstrably transformed the way that people see color and the processes of making art.

Famously associated with the Bauhaus and Yale University, he is best known for his geometric paintings, particularly the Homage to the Square series, in which he explored chromatic interactions with nested squares, meticulously recording the colors used. He also created murals, such as those for the Corning Glass Building and the Time & Life Building in New York City. In 1970, he and his wife lived in Orange, Connecticut, where they continued to work in their private studio. In 1971, Albers was the first living artist to be given a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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Josef Albers always went back to basics. As a child, he gained skills in carpentry and commercial painting by helping his father with work. Albers began his career teaching young children when “learning through doing” was still a new concept in progressive education. This appreciation of everyday materials and experiential learning was fundamental to his own art and design and his pedagogical approach throughout four decades of teaching.

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