Biography

Adolf Loos /Brno 1870 - 1933 Vienna-Kalksburg), Vienna The son of the Brno sculptor of the same name studied at the Technical University in Dresden. 1893-96 he stayed in the USA for study purposes, especially in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. The work of Louis Sullivan made a lasting impression on the young architect and publicist. Influential for his theoretical writings, he brought the following quote by Sullivan with him to Vienna: 'It could only serve us well if we left ornament for a while and concentrated entirely on erecting buildings that were beautifully formed and graceful in their sobriety'. Back in Vienna in 1898 he was entrusted with furnishing the 'Café Museum', where he was able to realize his ideas of functional architecture and furnishings for the first time. In the following years he planned numerous commercial and residential buildings in Vienna and the surrounding area. For example, in 1908, the 'American Bar' in the Kärntner Passage. His main work 'Ornament and Crime' was published abroad. From 1926 onwards, Loos stayed in Vienna and Paris, where he designed the Tristan Tsara house, among other things.

Objects by Adolf Loos