Adolf Loos

Architecture Austrian 1870 – 1933 102 quotes

An influential Austrian architect and theorist, he was a pioneer of modern architecture and a critic of ornament in his essay 'Ornament and Crime'.

Quotes by Adolf Loos

The evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornament from utilitarian objects.

Ornament and Crime 1908

Ornament is crime.

Ornament and Crime 1908

The modern man, who uses ornament, is an anachronism.

Ornament and Crime 1908

The less ornament, the greater the spiritual depth.

Ornament and Crime 1908

The house has to please everyone, in contrast to the work of art which does not. The work of art is a private affair for the artist. The house is not.

Architecture 1910

The house must not tell a story, it must be discreet.

Architecture 1910

The architect is a bricklayer who has learned Latin.

Architecture 1910

The house is a machine for living.

Architecture 1910

The house should be inconspicuous. It should be like a good suit, well-cut, well-made, but not drawing attention to itself.

Architecture 1910

Only a very small part of architecture belongs to art: the tomb and the monument.

Architecture 1910

The house has no need to be beautiful. It only needs to be practical.

Architecture 1910

The house is not a work of art, but a machine for living.

Architecture 1910

The house is not a work of art. The work of art is something that is not useful.

Architecture 1910

The house is a container for human life.

Architecture 1910

The house is a private matter.

Architecture 1910

The house should be like a good servant, always there, but never noticed.

Architecture 1910

The house should be simple, unadorned, and functional.

Architecture 1910

The house should be a place of peace and quiet, a refuge from the outside world.

Architecture 1910

The house should be a place where one can be oneself.

Architecture 1910

The house should be a place where one can live and work in comfort.

Architecture 1910