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Born: Germany in 1886
Most Recognised for: Barcelona Chair
LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE - (1886-1969)
DESIGNER BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was one of the greatest pioneers of 20th Century modern architecture. His architectural style was a combination of simplicity and clarity (particularly with glass and steel) that heralded a new era in building design and his influence can still be seen in many new projects today.
Born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies in Aachen in Germany in 1886 as the son of a stone carver. As a young man Mies chared his father’s interest in building materials and joined the family business as soon as he was finished at school.
From there he moved to Berlin to pursue a career in architecture. Despite his lack of formal qualification, Mies quickly gained himself a reputation as an architect with an eye for detail and by the end of the First World War he had formed his own company and was kept busy with privately commissioned house design projects. At this time he changed his name to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (or Mies for short) as he felt this gave him necessary gravitas required to become one of the architectural elite.
The 1920’s saw Mies move into one of his most productive and innovative creative periods. He started experimenting with what we widely accept to be modernist designs – which at the time were completely ground breaking.
His 1929 German Pavillion (more commonly known as Barcelona Pavillion) is a great example of his work. Designed in the most simplistic form and made from the most expensive of materials, the Barcelona pavillion would not look out of place if it was built today. It was for this building that Mies designed his widely recognised Barcelona chair. The chair typified his approach to architecture, with a focus on high quality raw materials, an exposed frame coupled with his “less is more” philosophy. The result is an elegant and truly timeless piece of furniture.
Mies was the last director of the famous Bauhaus design school until its closure in 1933 and he then defected to the USA in 1937 to escape the Nazis, who viewed his work as “not German enough”. His design skills were welcomed and encouraged in America, where he soon settled in Chicago and became Head of Architecture at the prestigious Illinois Institute of Technology – insisting that he designed all of the new campus buildings which still stand today.
Mies went on to design dozens of high profile buildings in the USA as a result of his architecture being so prized by many large corporations and American government departments alike. His legacy can be found all over America today.
Mies continued his commitment to design right up to his death in 1969 in Chicago.
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