Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Less is more, glass and steel architecture
Most quoted
"The new era is a fact; it exists, irrespective of our approval or disapproval. It is a spiritual fact, and it is our task to recognize it and to find its true meaning."
— from G, no. 1, 1923
"I believe that architecture has little to do with the invention of interesting forms or with personal taste. Its real task is to give form to the life of its time."
— from Speech at the Illinois Institute of Technology, 1950
"If we succeed in raising this industrial production to the level of a valid building form, then the social, economic, and technical problems will also be solved."
— from G magazine article, 1924
All quotes by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (321)
Architecture is the art of making the impossible possible.
I don't want to be a star, I want to be a solid foundation.
The more complicated it is, the less it is.
I don't want to be a trend, I want to be a tradition.
Architecture is the art of silence.
I don't want to be a hero, I want to be a good worker.
The simpler it is, the more difficult it is.
I don't want to be a fashion, I want to be a necessity.
Architecture is the art of light and shadow.
I don't want to be a prophet, I want to be a builder.
The more you know, the less you need.
I don't want to be a monument, I want to be a home.
I don't want to be a leader, I want to be a guide.
The less you explain, the more people understand.
I don't want to be a spectacle, I want to be a sanctuary.
Architecture is the art of construction.
I don't want to be a master, I want to be a student.
The more you simplify, the more you reveal.
I don't want to be a statement, I want to be a solution.
We must be as clear in our work as in our speech.
Contemporaries of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Other Architectures born within 50 years of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969).