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 Chronology
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1895 Born on 20 July in Borsod, later Bácsborsod, in
southern Hungary.
His father, foreman of a wealthy estate, leaves the family when
the children are young. László, his mother, and
his younger brother, Ákos, are later taken into the home
of his uncle, the lawyer Dr Gusztáv Nagy, who lives in
the town of Moholy, present-day Mol, in Serbia.
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1905 Begins secondary school in the town of Szeged.
1911 Some of his early poems are published in the Szeged daily
newspapers.
1913 Enrolls as a law student at the University of Budapest.
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1915 Enlists in the Austro-Hungarian Army as an artillery officer.
During his wartime service, he makes colored sketches, many
on postcards, some of which he sends to his family and friends.
He also documents his war experiences in watercolor and crayon
drawings, depicting wounded and fallen soldiers and barbed wire
landscapes.
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1917 He is wounded on the Russian Front.
After his convalescence in Budapest he goes on reserve status.Publishes
poems, short stories and book reviews in the short-lived literary
magazine Jelenkor (The Present Time) founded by Iván
Hevesy and others, until it is discontinued the following year.
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1918 After his discharge from the army, he abandons his law
studies to become an artist. Attends evening classes in life
drawing at a free art school in Budapest. Studies the Old Masters,
identifies with German Expressionism and the Russian avant-garde.
Exhibits for the first time with other artists, showing watercolours
at the National Salon, Budapest. Comes into contact with Hungarian
avant-garde artists.
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1919 In March he is included in an exhibition at the Mücsarnok
(Hall of Art)
Moves to Szeged in August where he works as an artist in a studio
community with the Activist sculptor, Sándor Gergely,
with whom he exhibits in November.
At the end of the year, he moves to Vienna where he stays for
six weeks. Here he socializes with the Ma artists group centered
around Lajos Kassák. He is influenced by the Cubist-Expressionist
work of his friends, Lajos Tihanyi and Sándor Bortnyik.
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1920 Moves to Berlin at the beginning of the year. He receives
help from the German and American Quakers working in Berlin.
Makes contact with German Dadaists and Der Sturm (The Storm)
Gallery.
Meets Lucia Schulz in April, who studied art history and philosophy
in Prague and has a keen interest in photography. Development
of material collages for first Constructivist works, including
Glasarchitektur-Bilder. In October his work is included in an
exhibition at Galerie Fritz Gurlitt in Berlin.
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1921 Marries Lucia Schulz in January. Horizont, a collection
of his Dadaist art, is published by Ma.
In 1921 he begins writing the film scenario for “Dynamic
of the Metropolis”, published in Ma in Hungarian in 1924,
and later in German in Volume 8 in the Bauhaus Books Series,
Malerei Photografie Film (Painting, Photography, Film).
1920/1922 sees the conception of Moholy-Nagy’s own form
of Constructivism.
In April, he is made the Berlin representative for Ma, a post
he holds until 1925.
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1922 In February he exhibits with László Péri
at the Der Sturm gallery in Berlin. His work includes paintings
and metal sculptures and ‘Reliefs’ made of found
objects of glass, wood and metal.
Creates the so-called Telephone pictures, five works of enamel
on steel reproduced by machine. Moholy meets Walter Gropius,
who visits his Sturm exhibition. Reproduction of his works in
the 1 May celebratory issue of Ma.
In May attends the “First International Congress for Progressive
Artists” in Düsseldorf as representative of the Ma
group. Attends the Dadaists’ and Constructivists’
conference in Weimar.
Strongly influenced by Kurt Schwitters who is co-organiser of
the Constructivist artists’ meetings in Hanover. Spends
the summer in the Rhön with his wife, Lucia, where he is
inspired to begin making photograms, which he produces with
her help and knowledge of photography. These first photograms
are made in daylight on copying-out paper. The article “Produktion-Reproduktion”
is published in De Stijl in July.
First sketches of the Light Space Modulator, which is exhibited
in 1930. Publishes together with Lajos Kassák A könyve
új müvészek (The Book of New Artists) in
Hungarian and German, an anthology of modern art and poetry
published in Ma. December - together with Alfred Kemény
writes the manifesto “Dynamisch-konstruktives Kraftsystem”
(Constructive System of Forces) published in Der Sturm.
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1923 February - second Sturm exhibition with László
Péri.
Exhibits at the Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hanover.
Publication of the Kestner-portfolio Nr. 6 (six lithographs).
Invited by Gropius to the Staatliche Bauhaus in Weimar in March;
he takes over the foundation course from Johannes Itten and
the metal workshop from Paul Klee, bringing a new Constructivist
direction to the Bauhaus.
Publishes linoleum and woodcuts in Der Sturm.
In the 1920s publishes extensively on photography, typography,
new arrangements in music and light composition.
In August and September participates in the Bauhaus Exhibition
in Weimar.
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1924 February - third Sturm exhibition with Hugo Scheiber, including
five Telephone Pictures.
Participates in the Sturm section of the First German Art Exhibition
in Moscow.
Collaboration with Oskar Schlemmer and Farkas Molnár
in theatre, dance and ballet stage design; also works in architectural
and mural design.
Plans a series of Bauhaus newsletters, a project not realised.
Starts work with Gropius on the Bauhaus Books series, with 50
volumes originally planned.
In addition to the traditional technique of painting on canvas,
he starts to use synthetic materials such as aluminium, celluloid,
and opaque plastics.
Experiments with photo collages, which he calls photoplastics.
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1925 In March has his final exhibition at Der Sturm.
Moves with the Bauhaus to Dessau.
The first Bauhaus Books are published. By 1930 fourteen volumes
have appeared. Moholy-Nagy designs all but three volumes.
Publication of the book, Die Bühne im Bauhaus (The theatre
of the Bauhaus) with F. Molnár and O. Schlemmer as Volume
4 of the Bauhaus Books series. This work includes the conceived
idea of a Theatre of Totality and the essay “Theater,
Zirkus, Varieté”; also the vision of a theatre
of form, movement, tone, light, colour and odors in the form
of a Partiturskizze zu einer mechanischen Exzentrik.
Volume 8 of the Bauhaus Books series, Painting Photography Film,
which was solely written by Moholy-Nagy, includes hers the scenario
for the film, “Dynamik der Großstadt.”
Writes a film script, “Huhn bleibt Huhn”, 1925-30.
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