Erich Consemüller, Lis Beyer or Ise Gropius sitting on the B3 club chair by Marcel Breuer and wearing a mask by Oskar Schlemmer and dress fabric by Beyer, c.1927. Herzogenrath, Berlin.

Written by Katarina Jansdottir

Possibly the world’s most famous art school, the Bauhaus with its teachers and students made major contributions to modern art, architecture and design. Open for only 14 years in between the wars, the amount and quality of work is astonishing. The exhibition Bauhaus: Art as Life at the Barbican in London presents a comprehensive overview including more than 400 works created by creatives connected to the school, including Paul Klee, Oskar Schlemmer and Wassily Kandinsky.

Paul Klee, Tomb in Three Parts, 1923

Josef Albers, Set of four stacking tables, c.1927.

From the spiritual expressionist beginning to the constructivist and minimal ending, the close links between art and life in the Bauhaus community are mapped out. The ambitions to create a modern society combined with the high level of craftsmanship makes it clear how relevant and important the works are even today, almost 80 years after the school’s demise.

Factory A, by Josef Albers (1925-6) Photograph: Tim Nighswander

Bauhaus: Art as Life is on at the Barbican until the 12th of August.