JOSEF ALBERS
GERMAN-AMERICAN, 1888-1976
Josef Albers was a legendary teacher and color theorist. The artist is best known for his iconic “Homage to the Square” series (1949–76), which features nested squares of varying colors and explores how different juxtapositions of form and hue affect viewers’ perceptions and emotions. Albers formalized and expanded upon his theories in his seminal 1963 book Interaction of Color. He was closely involved with the original Bauhaus and moved to the United States when the school was closed by Nazis in 1933. In the U.S., Albers taught at the experimental Black Mountain College as well as at Yale, where his teachings influenced generations of American artists. His work has been exhibited in cities around the world and belongs in the collections of institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the British Museum, the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.