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)
We must learn to build with the means of our time.
The true work of art is a mirror of the divine.
The problem of the modern building is not a problem of style, but a problem of construction.
We must try to make a building that is true to its purpose and true to its time.
The building must be clear and strong.
I am not interested in inventing new forms, but in developing existing ones.
The purpose of architecture is to make life possible.
We must build for the future, not for the past.
The truth is in the structure.
We must be honest with our materials.
The building must be a clear expression of its purpose.
I don't believe in styles, I believe in good buildings.
The new architecture is not a question of taste, but a question of fact.
We must build with the spirit of our time.
The building should be a clear and simple statement.
Architecture is a spiritual act.
The task of architecture is to create order.
I am not interested in the arbitrary, but in the necessary.
The building must be a reflection of its function.
We must strive for clarity and precision.
Contemporaries of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Other Architectures born within 50 years of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969).