Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one third of the Holy Trinity of Modern Architecture, which also includes Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier. The boys of Bauhaus were beacons of a completely new kind of architecture. Their concurrent furniture designs mirrored its precepts. Van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Gropius eschewed ornamentation out of context with its purpose and surroundings. Designs were dictated by function.

Born in 1886 as Maria Ludwig Michael Mies, he was the son of a master stonemason. An apprenticeship with his father led to subsequent work with local design firms. The young Mies then moved to Berlin, where he spent time in the studio of interior designer Bruno Paul, followed by eight years interning as an architect with Peter Behrens. He renamed himself to reflect his identity as an architect for Berlin’s culturati; Van der Rohe had an aristocratic ring to it.

Ironically, after World War 1 Germany and the rest of Europe started to shed the ideologies of monarchy and aristocracy. Tradition and its cobwebs were swept out the door. New technologies and political change emphasized democratization and utility, and the emergence of a new corporate culture. Mies, who was also influenced by Russian Constructivism, the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and designer Gerrit Rietveld of Holland’s De Stijl group, envisioned a clean and linear architecture that transparently revealed layers of functionality and articulated each design component

Most of the projects he designed in the early1920’s never got built but his fresh vision was recognized in important circles. Perhaps his most famous accomplishments were the Barcelona Pavilion and Barcelona Chair designed to showcase Germany at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. The Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, furthered his reputation.

Mies subsequently joined Bauhaus, where he taught until 1937 when he left Europe to escape Nazi oppression. He settled in Chicago, where he became the head of the architecture school at the Armour (later Illinois) Institute of Technology.

For the next thirty years, Mies designed buildings that have become iconic symbols of 20th century urban life and values. Among these are Farnsworth House, the Seagram Building in New York and Chicago’s Crown Hall at IIT. His furniture pieces have become design classics, known for their fine craftsmanship, mix of luxurious fabrics coverings and chrome frames, and a distinct separation of the supporting structure and supported surfaces.

Signature Buildings:
Barcelona Pavilion (1929)
Tugendhat House, Brno, Czech Republic (1930)
60-880 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago (1951)
Farnsworth House, Illinois (1951)
Seagram Building, New York (1954)
Crown Hall, Chicago (1956)
Toronto-Dominion Centre, Toronto (1967)
Westmount Square, Montreal (1968)
One Illinois Center, Chicago (1970)
IBM Plaza, Chicago (1973)

Signature Furniture:
Barcelona Chair, Couch, Table, Stool (1929)
Brno Chair (1930)
Tugendhat Chair (1931)
MR Chair, Lounge, Table (1927-32)

Knoll (www.knoll.com) manufactures licensed original Mies van der Rohe designs.