德國的Bauhaus學院，在創辦之初，主張著男女平等，然而卻表裡不一，真正開放給女性的課程，卻少之又少。Anni Albers（(1899–1994)）進入Bauhaus以後，曾經想報讀玻璃工程課程，卻遭到拒絕，唯一願意接收她的是布藝班，事與願違，最終卻造就了一位極具影響力的布藝家。
Anni Albers製作實用的布藝，也沉迷於抽象藝術創作，不管是量產或是藝術作品，都充滿了實驗性，其中創作於今年1930年代至1960年代的一系列如同畫作般的布藝編織，深深地流露了她對視覺藝術的熱愛。在這系列裡，她利用質感、粗幼不同的線，不拘一格的編織方式，製作出一幅幅，有如立體抽象畫般的布藝作品。線的走向與編織手法，彷彿是被她內心澎湃的情感所牽引，又彷彿它們本來便有著各自的生命。
除了布藝創作之外，Anni Albers作畫、設計布藝圖案、做首飾設計，晚年的她，更毅然放棄專長的布藝編織，專注於設計、學術研究及教學。倫敦Tate Modern現正舉行Anni Albers的回顧展，詳情請參考其網站。
The Bauhaus, the German academic institution, declared equality between the sexes when it was founded. Such declaration was, however, not at all realized since there were only a very limited number of courses that accepted female students. When Anni Albers (1899–1994) entered Bauhaus, she was barred from taking the glass workshop. The only place that was willing to accept her was the weaving workshop. This misfortunate circumstance had surprisingly nurtured her into a remarkable textile artist.
Although the textile Albers designed and weaved were for practical use, her passion for abstract art can be easily identified in her works. Be it mass produced fabric or artworks, her designs always have an experimental aesthetics. The painting-like textile she weaved between the 1930s to the 1960s has clearly demonstrated her enthusiasm for visual arts. In this series, she used her unconventional technique to weave threads of different texture and thickness into pieces of textile that resemble three-dimensional abstract paintings. The threads seem to be guided by her surge of emotion; at the same time, they appear to be alive and move by their own free will.
Apart from textile design, Albers was also a painter, pattern designer, and jewelry designer. Later in her life, Albers set aside her lifelong expertise in weaving and began to put her focus on design, academic research and education. Tate Modern in London is currently hosting a retrospective of Anni Albers. For more information, please visit their official website.
