20 July 1895 – 24 November 1946, was a Hungarian-born painter, photographer, typographer, and stage designer who became one of the most influential teachers and theorists associated with the Bauhaus. Born László Weisz in Bácsborsód in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he initially studied law before turning to art after the First World War.

After the collapse of the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919 he moved first to Vienna and then to Berlin, where he became involved in avant-garde circles and began working across painting, photography, design, and typography. In 1923 Walter Gropius invited him to join the Bauhaus in Weimar, where he succeeded Johannes Itten as instructor of the preliminary course and head of the metal workshop. Between 1923 and 1928 he played a major role in shaping the direction of the school and edited the Bauhausbücher series together with Gropius.

Photography was central to his artistic theory and practice. In books such as Malerei, Photographie, Film (1925) he formulated the concept of Neues Sehen (“New Vision”), arguing that the camera could reveal perspectives and visual relationships inaccessible to the human eye. His work included photograms, experimental compositions, and typographic designs that explored the relationship between light, movement, and modern technology.

After leaving the Bauhaus in 1928 he worked in Berlin and later in London as a designer, filmmaker, and photographer. In 1937 he moved to Chicago to direct the New Bauhaus, later the School of Design, continuing the Bauhaus approach to art and design education in the United States. He remained active as an artist and teacher until his death in Chicago in 1946.

Reference
Biography text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), German edition. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/László_Moholy-Nagy