Table Fan (model WT 22)

This table fan’s sleek brass blades and crisp geometric ornament efficiently express what its designer Peter Behrens called “the rhythm of the time.” An early advocate for the role of art in industry, in 1907, Behrens assumed the still unusual position of artistic consultant at Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), a Berlin-based manufacturer of electrical equipment. At AEG, Behrens defined the look of a dizzying variety of visual forms, from factories and retail spaces to letterhead, posters, tea kettles, and electric fans. His integrated approach to industrial design inspired a generation of German architects, including Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, who worked in Behrens’ office from 1907 to 1910.