Hindsight: Cubist Builds Yachts, Writes Fugues

Lyonel Feininger was an early member of the artist group Der Blaue Rider (The Blue Rider) and its successor Die Blaue Vier (The Blue Four), as well as a leading figure in Germany’s Bauhuas movement during the early 20th Century. Primarily a painter, Feininger is known for his expressive line and compositions that suggest print illustration akin to graphic design and the popular media of the time. In 1936, following the Nazi’s rise to power in Germany, Feininger fled to Oakland on a teaching visa provided by Mills College, to protect his life and career. A year later, Feininger’s work was included in the Entarte Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition organized by the Nazi party to discredit artists the Nazis deemed unfit for public consumption.

Feininger came to Mills College through the Summer Sessions program established by MCAM director Alfred Neumeyer, which allowed many artists threatened by instability and violence in Europe to relocate to the United States and practice their art in safety. Feininger was beloved by Mills students, who signed a petition demanding that he continue teaching on campus after his first term. Click here for the whole story about Lyonel Feininger and Summer Sessions.