Mies van der Rohe: Early Pioneer of the Modern Movement

The 20th century has seen it share of hundreds of revolutionary

furniture designers, but only an elite few have acquired the title of
being one of the leaders of the art. One such man that has gained this
hallowed accolade is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Considered by many
as one of the greatest furniture designers who ever lived, van der Rohe
is credited along with Walter Gropius and Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-
Gris a.k.a. Le Corbusier as the early pioneers of the modern design
movement. Today his designs are considered to be timeless examples
of modern furniture and are standard pieces in various museums
around the world.

Born on the 27th of March 1886 at the city of Aachen in the North
Westphalian region of the German Empire, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
(whose real name is Maria Ludwig Mies) began his career working in his
father’s stone carving shop and later at the office of the designer
Bruno Paul. Then in 1908, van der Rohe was accepted as an apprentice
at the office of Peter Behrens, a renowned architect from the A.E.G
Turbine Factory. In was under his apprenticeship at Behrens’ office that
van der Rohe learned of the latest design theories of the day as well as
being fully exposed to Germany’s cultural progression. It was also at
this period of his life that van der Rohe was said to have met with
Jeanneret-Gris and Gropius, who were also working as apprentices
under Behrens.

Finally, in 1912 Mies van der Rohe completed his apprenticeship at

Behrens’ office, and was sent to work at the German Embassy in Saint
Petersburg. It was there that van der Rohe’s talent was immediately
recognized, and was soon making independent commissions in
addition to his work at the embassy. It was not long after that he
decided to become a full-time independent architect and designer, and
adopted the surname “van der Rohe” to complete the transformation.

Although he had no formal education in furniture design and was

trained as an architect, Mies van der Rohe produced modern furniture
pieces that were revolutionary for its day. Incorporating the qualities of
modern architectural design into his furnishings, van der Rohe created
such designs such as the Barcelona Chair, an X-shaped stainless steel
chair, and the Brno, a chair with a distinct cantilever design.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe died on August 17, 1969 and was buried in
the city of Chicago, but his legacy and influence on modern furniture
design still continues through the work he left behind. Today the
Barcelona, Brno and the rest of van der Rohe’s designs are designated
as icons of modern 20th century furniture, and are still highly sought
after as reproduction pieces.