Johannes Itten

(Swiss, 1888–1967)

Johannes Itten was a Swiss painter and important teacher at the Bauhaus in Weimar. A believer in mysticism, Itten developed comprehensive color theories which drew on both science and emotion, as evinced in his book The Art of Color (1961). “He who wants to become a master of color must see, feel, and experience each individual color in its many endless combinations with all other colors,” he once explained. “Colors must have a mystical capacity for spiritual expression, without being tied to objects.” Born on November 11, 1888 in Südern-Linden, Switzerland, he was trained as an elementary school teacher as a teenager, where he became interesting in exploring the psychology of individual students. In 1916, while living in Vienna, he met Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus. Gropius invited the artist to become one of the Bauhaus’s earliest instructors alongside Lyonel Feininger in 1919. Itten left the Bauhaus in 1923, after consistently arguing with Gropius about the direction the school take. He went on to open his own school in Berlin, which continued to operate until it was closed by the Nazi regime in 1934. Because of his knowledge of design, he was appointed the director of a textile school in the city of Krefeld. Relocating to Switzerland in 1938, he spent his remaining years writing books and teaching design courses. Itten died on March 25, 1967 in Zürich, Switzerland. Today, the artist’s works are The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, among others.

Johannes Itten Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Johannes Itten (482 results)
Bäume, 1944

Johannes Itten

Bäume, 1944

Sale Date: October 28, 2005

Auction Closed

Freundlich, 1966

Johannes Itten

Freundlich, 1966

Sale Date: June 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Bäume, 1944

Johannes Itten

Bäume, 1944

Sale Date: June 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Schrift, 1919

Johannes Itten

Schrift, 1919

Sale Date: June 23, 2005

Auction Closed

Komposition, 1962

Johannes Itten

Komposition, 1962

Sale Date: June 7, 2005

Auction Closed

10 Original Lithographien (portfolio of 10..., 1919

Johannes Itten

10 Original Lithographien (portfolio of 10..., 1919

Sale Date: May 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Gelbe Komposition, 1955

Johannes Itten

Gelbe Komposition, 1955

Sale Date: November 24, 2004

Auction Closed

Farbkomposition, 1966

Johannes Itten

Farbkomposition, 1966

Sale Date: November 24, 2004

Auction Closed

Privatgelehrter auf dem Heimweg, 1958

Johannes Itten

Privatgelehrter auf dem Heimweg, 1958

Sale Date: November 24, 2004

Auction Closed

Kristall, 1952

Johannes Itten

Kristall, 1952

Sale Date: December 7, 2004

Auction Closed

Schatztruhe, 1959

Johannes Itten

Schatztruhe, 1959

Sale Date: November 12, 2004

Auction Closed

Johannes Itten, 1920–1925

Johannes Itten

Johannes Itten, 1920–1925

Sale Date: December 4, 2004

Auction Closed

Komposition, 1961

Johannes Itten

Komposition, 1961

Sale Date: December 8, 2004

Auction Closed

Erster Daidalos Druck (portfolio of 12), 1919

Johannes Itten

Erster Daidalos Druck (portfolio of 12), 1919

Sale Date: December 4, 2004

Auction Closed

Nach dem Julierpass, 1935

Johannes Itten

Nach dem Julierpass, 1935

Sale Date: December 2, 2004

Auction Closed

Das Haus des weissen Mannes, pl.4 (from..., 1920

Johannes Itten

Das Haus des weissen Mannes, pl.4 (from..., 1920

Sale Date: November 27, 2004

Auction Closed

Tagebuch. Beiträge zu einem Kontrapunkt der...

Johannes Itten

Tagebuch. Beiträge zu einem Kontrapunkt der...

Sale Date: June 17, 2004

Auction Closed

10 Originallithographien. Frau Agathe..., 1919–1919

Johannes Itten

10 Originallithographien. Frau Agathe..., 1919–1919

Sale Date: June 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Johannes Itten

"i ist Freude", 1917–1917

Sale Date: May 14, 2004

Auction Closed

Linienrhythmus, 1919–1919

Johannes Itten

Linienrhythmus, 1919–1919

Sale Date: March 2, 2004

Auction Closed

Komposition

Johannes Itten

Komposition

Sale Date: December 4, 2003

Auction Closed

Komposition mit Kreuz

Johannes Itten

Komposition mit Kreuz

Sale Date: December 4, 2003

Auction Closed

Lithographien, 1919–1919

Johannes Itten

Lithographien, 1919–1919

Sale Date: December 2, 2003

Auction Closed

Johannes Itten, 1920–1925

Johannes Itten

Johannes Itten, 1920–1925

Sale Date: November 29, 2003

Auction Closed

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