1919 - 1924 study of painting and graphic arts at the Kunstakademie Kassel as pupil of Curt Witte and Ewald Dülberg. 1923 visit to the Bauhaus in Weimar and contact with the Bauhaus artists Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger. 1924 state examination as "drawing teacher", followed by work as freelance painter.

1925 foundation of the group "Die Fünf" with August Anhalt, Otto Julius Fleck, Karl Leyhausen and Celil French Salkeld as well as the "Kassel Secession". Stay in Berlin with study of old masters in the museums there, travel to Paris and southern France with Carl Döbel and Teo Otto. 1926 establishment of a studio in his parents' house and operation of a private painting school.

1927 participation in the anniversary exhibition "150 Jahre Casseler Kunstakademie ". 1929 together with Heinrich Dersch establishment of the department "Neue Kunst" for the "Vierte große Kunstausstellung Kassel 1929 — Neue Kunst in der Orangerie". In this context extensive travels, among others to the Bauhaus in Dessau. Since 1929 member of the
SPD. 1930 marriage to Marie-Louise Kaufmann and move "Onkel Toms Hütte" in Berlin.

1.5.1930 appointment to the Städtische Werklehrer-Seminar under the direction of Hans Wilhelm Michel, there lecturer for "preliminary course: surface - room - color - black and white ". From 1.4.1932 deputy director. On 1.5.1933 dismissed due to political attitudes and teaching methods, destruction of pictures and professional ban.

1934 return to Kassel and collaboration in the architectural office of his brother Paul Bode. 1937 trip to Paris, 1939 to Geneva.

1939 - 1945 military service in France, deployment as a driver and in the construction of soldiers’ homes. 1943 destruction of all pictures during the bombing of his Kassel house. After American captivity in 1945, return to the destroyed home town of Kassel.

1946 co-founder of the Hessian Secession. Together with Ernst Röttger and others new formation of the Kasseler Kunstakademie as "Staatliche Werkakademie" in 1947, which was closed in 1932. Until 1969 professor for painting as well as interior design and exhibition architecture there.

With colleagues such as Hermann Mattern and Stephan Hirzel, the Werkakademie is reformed into a place where arts and crafts merge, following the example of the Bauhaus in Dessau. Parallel work for various companies such as Correcta, Göppinger Kaliko- und Kunstlederwerke, Jenaer Glas, Schott & Genossen, Arzberg, Thomas and Rosenthal. Design of wallpaper collections for Tapetenfabrik Rasch as well as furniture design and interior architecture. Between 1956 and 1964 design of numerous exhibitions for the göppinger galerie in Frankfurt am Main.

1954 first project plans for an international art exhibition at the Bundesgartenschau 1955 in Kassel 1/9. Initiator of the first documenta: founding member of the society "Abendländische Kunst des XX. Jahrhunderts e.V."; working committee; exhibition architecture.

documenta 2: exhibition director; exhibition advisory board and hanging commission; committees "Painting and Sculpture" and "Prints and Drawings"; exhibition architecture; catalogue design

documenta 3: exhibition director; chairman of the documenta-Rat; committee "Painting and Sculpture"; exhibition architecture; catalogue design.

documenta 4: exhibition director; chairman of the documenta-Rat; member of all working committees; exhibition architecture. documenta 5: until July 1971 member of the "Realisatorengruppe"; member of the "Arbeitsgruppe". documenta 6: member of the documenta committee.