Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, Max Bill (1908–1994) is often associated with concrete art and environmental design, but he was, above all, a true Swiss universal creator active across multiple disciplines.
From 1924 to 1927, he trained as a silversmith in Zurich before studying at the Bauhaus. Later, he played a key role in founding the Ulm School of Design to carry on the Bauhaus spirit.

He once said : “I believe that art can, to a large extent, be created through mathematical thinking. I see mathematics as a science using only numbers and symbols, while art, on the other hand, is a psychological response to beauty—an exploration of aesthetics, the theory of beauty. In other words, art is the antithesis of mathematics.”

Max Bill’s works remain indispensable to major modern art collections around the world today.

Founded in 1919 in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus was a revolutionary design school that offered a comprehensive education in architecture, crafts, fine arts, and photography. Though it was forced to close in 1933 under pressure from the Nazi regime—after only 14 years—its influence on modern design remains immense.

The Dessau campus was designed by the school’s first director, Walter Gropius.

Max Bill studied there under Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. After 1929, he worked as a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, architect, and eventually as an industrial designer, though his early focus was primarily on painting. One of his best-known abstract and geometric works from this period is “Fifteen Variations on a Single Theme” (1935–1938).

Established in 1953 in Germany, the Ulm School of Design (Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm) was led by Max Bill as its first rector.

The school carried forward the Bauhaus philosophy, offering education in product design, architecture, and visual communication.

It actively collaborated with industry partners, bridging design and production. Although its active years were relatively short—like the Bauhaus—its impact on the design world was profound and long-lasting.