Google doodle honors Anni Albers, a German American textile designer, printmaker, and educator

The life and work of artist Anni Albers are honored in this video Doodle. She was a German American educator, printmaker, and textile designer who was well-known for her skill in weaving. One of the few painters who was able to innovate the art form through a modernist lens while maintaining its historic foundations and traditions is Albers. Julia Lines, a visiting artist from New York, created the Doodle by hand using a weaving machine.

Albers was born in Berlin, Germany, on June 12, 1899. Possessing an acute sense of design from an early age, she joined in the weaving workshop at the Staatliches Bauhaus in 1922 while attending art school. She finally joined the faculty in 1930 and led the weaving department for three years until the Bauhaus closed.

Albers and her husband Josef sailed to the United States on this day in 1933 in order to escape Nazi Germany.

She received an invitation to teach at Black Mountain College, a hands-on art school in North Carolina. Albers’ works were widely acknowledged by like-minded specialists and fans during her reign. She held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1949, making her the first textile designer to do so. Her reputation as a genuine weaving pioneer was solidified by this amazing accomplishment.

Albers wrote two works that are widely studied and discussed by aspiring artists today: On Designing (1959) and On Weaving (1965). Her creations were well praised globally during the ensuing few decades. In addition to receiving several honorary doctorates and lifetime achievement awards, she had two significant exhibits in Germany in 1976.

Albers inspired others to experiment with textile design. She is known for her innovative use of unconventional materials, contributions to contemporary weaving, and unwavering commitment to fine craftsmanship.