20th century furniture by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Germany

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969). When it comes to the big names of twentieth century design, they don’t come much bigger than Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. A pioneering and hugely influential architect and a dedicated and passionate educator and furniture designer. Mies was, first and foremost, an architect and held the role of Director of Architecture at the Bauhaus Design School. In 1908, he took a job with Peter Behrens; his colleagues in that office included Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Mies went into private practice in 1913, adding the more impressive Rohe, his mother´s maiden name. Mies, often in collaboration with Lilly Reich, designed furniture for many of his early projects, and most is still in production today. In particular, furnishings for the Tugendhat House and the Barcelona Pavilion have become design icons. These pieces reflect the same philosophical underpinnings that drove his architecture. more... Both are concerned with the use of space, their forms being defined as much by the space around them as by the structure of the chairs themselves, and employ a striking combination of sleek modernist steel and luxurious leather. less...