Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1966) Germany

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German-American architect and is considered one of the most important architects of all time. Mies simple yet elegant designs strongly influenced and put its mark on architecture for many generations to come. Mies began his career as an apprentice with furniture designer Bruno Paul in Berlin, and then worked for Peter Behrens who was in the forefront of the modernist design movement. In 1912, Mies opened his own design office in Berlin, and eventually he became recognized as one of the pioneers of the German functionalism. His architectural work with the German Pavilion, with its horizontal and vertical sheets of glass, stone and metal, at the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona made him internationally famous. Mies also designed the design classic Barcelona chair for the pavilion, which is where it made its big break-through.
Mies was also headmaster of the Bauhaus School in Dessau between 1930-1933. Five years later he immigrated to Chicago, USA, where he continued his successful career. Mies designed a row of famous buildings with visible structures and translucent glass facades, which created an experimental feel and uncertainty about what was inside or outside.