Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), commonly known as Mies, was a German-American architect and furniture designer regarded as one of the pioneers of modernist architecture. As the last director of the Bauhaus, he significantly influenced architectural education and practice. His furniture designs, particularly the Barcelona Chair (1929), the Brno Chair (1930), and the Tugendhat Chair, are considered masterpieces of 20th-century design. Born in Aachen, Germany, Mies worked with leading architects before establishing his own practice. He coined the famous aphorisms "Less is more" and "God is in the details," principles that guided his minimalist approach to both architecture and furniture design. His architectural works include the German Pavilion in Barcelona (1929), the Farnsworth House (1951), and the Seagram Building in New York (1958). After emigrating to the United States in 1938, he became director of architecture at Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology. His furniture designs, characterized by structural clarity, elegant proportions, and luxurious materials like leather and chrome, perfectly embody his architectural philosophy and remain timeless classics in contemporary interiors.