Adolf Loos was born in 1870, in Brunn, Czechoslovakia. From 1890-1893, he studied architecture at the College of Technology in Dresden, Germany. He moved to the United States, and stayed for 3 years. Loos was very impressed by the architecture of Louis Sullivan, and the efficiency of buildings in the U.S.
In 1896, Loos moved back to Europe and lived in Vienna. In 1897, he established his own architectural practice. Strongly opposed to any decorations on buildings, Loos’s belief was that the lack of ornamentation generated character and spiritual power among the people. Loos thought that architecture should not be a form of art, but should be effective for the economy and times. He was strongly opposed to Art Nouveau and contemporary design.
| Loos designed all of his buildings without decoration, and became a shaper of the International Style. In Vienna, he designed the Karntner Bar (1907), the Steiner House (1910), and some commercial buildings. They all strictly followed his idea that the architecture should follow the era, and ornamentation did not fit in a technical era. Loos also designed the Villa Karma in the picture to the right. |
 Copyright © Mary Ann Sullivan |
| Loos taught all throughout Europe, and encouraged his students to go to the United States. He became better known for his articles against Art Nouveau, and other decorative styles , than for his buildings. In 1932, he became ill and died in 1933. |