Adolf Meyer, associate master at the State Bauhaus and head of Walter Gropius’s architectural practice, staged the living room of his rented flat in the spring of 1923 as a Gesamtkunstwerk under the motto ‘ET IN ARCADIA EGO’. The focal points were two murals each by Oskar Schlemmer and Werner Gilles. Hinnerk Scheper was responsible for the colour scheme of the room, whilst the ceiling light is attributed to Adolf Meyer himself.
Rediscovery and restoration
The murals were long thought to be lost; their rediscovery a few years ago caused a sensation in Bauhaus research, spearheaded by the BAUHAUS.WEIMAR.MODERNE Die Kunstfreunde e.V. association.
Owing to their rarity and high degree of authenticity, the interior design of the living space is a unique and significant testament to the Bauhaus in Weimar and has been entered in the List of Protected Monuments of the Free State of Thuringia.
In August 2020, the Thuringian Cultural Council moved into the office spaces in the former Meyer flat, which had been extensively renovated by the Weimar Wohnstätte; it safeguards this artistic heritage and is carefully making this special modernist living space accessible to the public.
Symposium
In October 2023, the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology, the Directorate of Museums of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the International Heritage Centre of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar organised the symposium »Verborgenes Bauhaus« on the rediscovered wall paintings in the living room of Bauhaus master Adolf Meyer in Weimar.
The event was part of the »Living« theme year of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar.
Guided tours
The room will be open to visitors from May 2025 as part of the »Wall Designs« special guided tour of the Bauhaus Walk.