Emotional turmoil at the Bauhaus : problems of internal and external legitimacy : an historical case study

Walter Gropius established the Bauhaus in Germany in 1919. The organization established one of the most important design movements of the twentieth century. The organization had a very brief existence and was fraught with disruptions and emotional turmoil. Despite the difficulties, Gropius managed to keep the organization alive long enough for its extraordinary creativity to be harnessed and developed. The organization closed in 1933, but by that time its legitimacy as a source of design and pedagogy was assured. Organizational survival is often dependent on government subsidies, support through sales, donations or sponsorships. A factor in attracting this support is the perceived legitimacy of the organisation. Legitimacy is defined as a degree of consensus that the meanings and behavior of an organisation are valid and desirable by society in
general. Legitimacy remains an undeveloped concept. This paper reviews relevant theories of legitimacy, considers the role of emotions in shaping legitimacy and the emotions evoked as legitimacy is negotiated by internal and external stakeholders. A historical case study of the Bauhaus provides the backdrop for portraying the focal role emotions can play in institutionalization. The paper concludes with a discussion of the lessons of legitimacy available to contemporary cultural organisations.