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Adolf Loos

    December 10, 1870 – August 23, 1933

    Adolf Loos was an Austrian architect who left an indelible mark on European modern architecture. Through his writings, particularly the essay "Ornament and Crime," he rejected the aesthetic principles of the Vienna Secession and contributed to the theoretical foundations of modernism. Loos's essays, often written in a provocative style, explored the relationship between cultural progress and the absence of ornamentation, arguing that decoration needlessly hastens an object's obsolescence. His architectural style influenced the minimalist approach of modern architecture, though some of his own interiors surprisingly featured richly decorated elements, these being "organic" integrations rather than superfluous additions.

    Adolf Loos
    Why a man should be well-dressed : appearances can be revealing
    Ornament and Crime
    Creating your home with style : taste is timeless
    Adolf Loos
    Raumplan versus Plan Libre
    On architecture
    • 2013

      Der Achitekt und Journalist Adolf Loos hatte zu allem eine Meinung und wusste auf jede Frage eine Antwort – vor allem, wenn es ums Bauen, Wohnen und den guten Geschmack ging. Loos, der zahlreiche Wohnungen plante und einrichtete, setzte stets auf klassische und praktische Möbel und verpönte ständig wechselnde Modetrends und die Vergeudung edlen Materials. Er forderte Stilmix statt Garniturdenken und Geschmacksfreiheit statt Einheitsbrei. Genauso wie guter Geschmack zeitlos ist, sind Loos’ amüsante Texte zum Thema zeitgemäß wie eh und je.

      Creating your home with style : taste is timeless
    • 2011

      Ein Kampf gegen Vergeudung edlen Materials, leere Ornamente und unnötigen Aufputz war kompromisslos, von seinen Anhängern wird er als der Architekt des modernen Geistes gefeiert. Nur wenigen sind seine amüsanten philosophisch-literarischen Texte über modische Erscheinungen und das Prinzip der Bekleidung bekannt. Inzwischen genießt Adolf Loos als Apostel der zeitgenössischen Bau- und Lebensweise Kultstatus. Sein schriftstellerisches Werk hat bis zum heutigen Tag Gültigkeit und wirkt in viele moderne Lebensbereiche hinein. Erstmals wird nun der „Loos'sche Dresscode" in englischer Übersetzung (mit einer kulturgeschichtlichen Einführung in die Zeit von Adolf Loos) präsentiert. Denn so viel guter Geschmack muss verbreitet werden.

      Why a man should be well-dressed : appearances can be revealing
    • 2008

      Raumplan versus Plan Libre

      • 198 pages
      • 7 hours of reading
      4.3(22)Add rating

      Originally published as a catalogue to accompany an exhibition with the same name in 1987, this new edition re-examines the respective merits of two giants of Modern Architecture Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier. As well as featuring writings by the two architects, the book illustrates their respective evolution, with detailed reference to their domestic projects, ranging from the Strasser House (1919) to the Last House (1932), and from the Maison Domino (1915) to Villa Savoye (1932). Features major contributions form Beatriz Colomina, Jan de Heer and Max Risselada, among others.

      Raumplan versus Plan Libre
    • 2002

      On architecture

      • 216 pages
      • 8 hours of reading
      4.7(12)Add rating

      Adolf Loos (1870-1933) is recognized today as one of the great masters of modern architecture. He did not leave a unified oeuvre but articles scattered through journals and newspapers. This collection of forty-two articles complements the volume Ornament and Crime. Together the two volumes represent more or less the complete writings of Adolf Loos

      On architecture
    • 1998

      Ornament and Crime

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading
      3.8(444)Add rating

      Revolutionary essays on design, aesthetics and materialism - from one of the great masters of modern architecture Adolf Loos, the great Viennese pioneer of modern architecture, was a hater of the fake, the fussy and the lavishly decorated, and a lover of stripped down, clean simplicity. He was also a writer of effervescent, caustic wit, as shown in this selection of essays on all aspects of design and aesthetics, from cities to glassware, furniture to footwear, architectural training to why 'the lack of ornament is a sign of intellectual power'. Translated by Shaun Whiteside With an epilogue by Joseph Masheck

      Ornament and Crime
    • 1995

      Adolf Loos

      • 221 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      This text covers the full range of architect Adolf Loos's work in both new and archival photography. The projects captured include the Karntner (American) Bar, the Steiner House, the Scheu House, the Moller and Muller houses, and the Goldman and Salatsch Building.

      Adolf Loos