László Moholy-Nagy was appointed director of the New Bauhaus in 1937 by the Association of Arts and Industries. The contact was established by Walter Gropius who was earmarked for this post but could not accept because he was already committed to Harvard. Moholy-Nagy moved with his wife Sibyl Moholy-Nagy and two daughters in the autumn of 1937 from London to Chicago. Moholy-Nagy employed two further exile friends as lecturers in the persons of Hin Bredendieck and Gyorgy Kepes. Hin Bredendieck had studied at the Bauhaus in Dessau and worked in the Berlin studio of László Moholy-Nagy before emigrating to the USA in 1937. Moholy-Nagy knew the Hungarian Gyorgy Kepes from his time in Berlin. In London, he had also worked in Moholy Nagy's workshop. After a promising start with 18 students at the start of his teaching in October, the number of students burgeoned to 35 in the first few weeks. A further20 students began studying at the new Bauhaus in February 1938. László Moholy-Nagy is correspondingly optimistic in this letter to Paul Citroen and wishes there were a community of Bauhaus friends for him to consult with.
Not only large numbers of young people, but also mature students were interested in the course. These included some artists who interpreted the new Bauhaus as a "community of free artists" and questioned all the teaching. They regarded practical work as an imposition and thought that poster designs were beneath their dignity. They boycotted all lessons and protested collectively against the teaching programme.