Johannes Itten was born in 1888 to a Swiss family of mountain farmers. Following in his father's footsteps, he began working as a primary school teacher in 1908. However, he soon developed an interest in art and, in 1909, enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva. Disillusioned with the rigid and monotonous training, he left in 1910 and spent the following years teaching math, physics, and chemistry, where he further developed his pedagogical skills.

In 1912, Itten made a second attempt at an art education, starting at the Genevan Art Academy before transferring to the Stuttgart Academy in 1913. There, he met Adolf Hölzel, whose theories had a profound influence on Itten's artistic philosophy. Itten graduated in 1916 and subsequently opened his own private art school in Vienna.

In October 1919, Walter Gropius appointed him as one of the first masters at the newly established Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar. There, Itten developed the foundational course with Gertrud Grunow, initiating a revolutionary shift from traditional academic art training to a practice-oriented education. However, his spiritual and somewhat cult-like teaching methods (as well as his adherence to the Mazdaznan teachings) led to frequent clashes with Gropius, who held a more practical approach. These tensions ultimately led Itten to leave the Bauhaus in 1923.

Itten continued his teaching career, founding a modern art school in Berlin in 1926. In 1932, he was appointed director of the newly established Advanced School of Textile Art in Krefeld. His school was later closed by the National Socialist Party in 1934, and his work was featured in the “degenerate art” exhibition of 1937.

After being dismissed from his position in Krefeld in 1938, Itten moved back to Switzerland, where he became director of the School as well as the Museum of Applied Arts in Zurich. In 1955, he accepted an invitation from Max Bill to join the faculty of the newly founded Ulm School of Design (HfG).

In 1961, he published “The Art of Color” (Kunst der Farbe), which included his influential color theory, featuring the seven color contrasts and his interpretation of the color wheel. (ss)