Josef Albers was born in 1888, in Bottrop, Germany. In 1923, he began to teach a
basic design course and then became a professor. In 1933, Albers immigrated to the United States. That same year, he became head of the art department at Black Mountain College, near Asheville, North Carolina. In 1936, he was given his first solo show in New York at J. B. Neumann's New Art Circle. In1949, Albers began his Homage to the Square series.