Dornach, Switzerland

Burned 1922

The first Goetheanum (named in honor of German author Johan Wolfgang von Goethe) was a timber and concrete structure designed by Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Anthroposophical Society. Construction started in 1913, originally to house the Society’s annual summer events. The building was opened on September 26, 1920. The Goethaneum had an unusual double-domed structure and eschewed hard angles. The building burned down on New Year’s Eve of 1922. Steiner designed and built a second concrete Goetheanum out of cast concrete that was completed in 1928 after his death. The second Goethaneum is the current world center for the anthroposophical movement. The painting is based on an uncredited photograph from the Anthroposophical Society website.

Requested by Erinn H.