International Style

In the early 20th century, various parts of the world saw avant-garde movements emerge, some of which pursued similar goals. In Germany, the craftsmen’s association Deutscher Werkbund and the Bauhaus design school merit a special mention. But in Russia, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, similar groups had already made a name for themselves and advocated a radical renewal in art and design. With the rise of the National Socialists and the Second World War looming on the horizon, many German and European champions of the Classical Modernism and New Building movements went into exile and spread their ideas abroad, where their approaches were adapted to the region and climate. In 1932, an exhibition was held at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, bringing together different trends in modern architecture of the 1920s and 1930s from all over the world. The organizers named the exhibition International Style, which then established itself as a concept in its own right. 

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