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)
I refuse to be interesting.
The individual is losing his significance; his destiny is no longer what interests us.
We should try to bring architecture back to its true meaning.
The new epoch is a fact; it exists, irrespective of whether we say 'yes' or 'no' to it.
The long, arduous road from the material to the spiritual.
I believe that architecture has a spiritual mission.
The more universal, the more significant.
I am not interested in a 'new style.' I am interested in a 'new spirit.'
The future of architecture is the future of mankind.
The building must be true to its purpose.
I want to make buildings that are timeless.
The strength of a building lies in its clarity.
Architecture is the art of space.
The structure is the law.
I do not create forms; I create spaces.
The material is not the end, but the means.
We must build for our time.
The essence of architecture is clarity and order.
I am not interested in expressing myself. I am interested in expressing the epoch.
The building must speak for itself.
Contemporaries of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Other Architectures born within 50 years of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969).