Her Life
Born in Chemnitz, Brandt trained as a painter and sculptor before arriving at the Bauhaus in 1923. Encouraged by László Moholy-Nagy, she entered the metal workshop, a field largely seen as male territory.
Marianne Brandt
1893–1983 · Born in Chemnitz
Metal
In one sentence
One of the few women admitted to the metal workshop, and designer of objects that went into mass production.
Her Work
Her MT 49 tea infuser (1924) in silver and ebony remains an icon of modernist design. With Hin Bredendieck she designed the Kandem bedside lamp (1928), a mass-produced classic. She also created ashtrays, lighting and striking photomontages. In 1928 she became deputy head of the metal workshop.
Why she was overlooked
Despite her success, she described being treated as an outsider in the workshop. After leaving the Bauhaus she worked in industry and later in East Germany, outside the main Western narratives of Bauhaus history.
Her Legacy Today
Her teapot designs are in major museum collections, and her lamp design influenced decades of lighting.
- MT 49 tea infuser (1924)
- Kandem bedside lamp, with Hin Bredendieck (1928)
Her work in pictures
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