![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
Mies, like many of his post-World War I contemporaries, sought to establish a new architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. He created an influential twentieth century architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. His mature buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define interior spaces. He strived towards an architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought a rational approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design. He is often associated with the aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details".
Born | Ludwig Mies March 27, 1886 Aachen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire | |
---|---|---|
Died | August 17, 1969 (aged 83) Chicago, Illinois, USA | |
Nationality | German 1886–1944/American 1944–1969 | |
Awards | Order Pour le Mérite (1959) Royal Gold Medal (1959) AIA Gold Medal (1960) Presidential Medal of Freedom (1963) | |
Work | ||
Buildings | Barcelona Pavilion Tugendhat House Crown Hall Farnsworth House 860–880 Lake Shore Drive Seagram Building New National Gallery Toronto-Dominion Centre Westmount Square |