From the Collection of George Larson
Chicago-based designer, George Larson has been designing corporate headquarters, private residences, yachts and architectural interiors for more than 57 years. He began his career with Skidmore Owings and Merrill in 1957 after graduating from the University of Michigan’s College of Architecture and Design. At SOM, Larson worked with Bruce Graham and Myron Goldsmith on projects such as the John Hancock building and Sears tower in Chicago, as well as many international projects.
Larson started his own firm, Larson Associates, working with local and international clientele for both commercial and residential projects; notable clients include Sara Lee, John Nuveen, Northern Trust, Baxter, General Motors, United Airlines and Ford Motor Corporation. Aside from architectural and interior design, Larson worked with Holly Hunt to develop his own furniture line, The George Larson Collection. In 1993, Larson co-authored the seminal book, Chicago Architecture and Design which is in its second edition with a third edition planned.
The following ten lots come from Larson’s Evanston home which he designed in 1978, his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and his former apartment at 910 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1886–1969
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of the most celebrated modernist architects of the twentieth century, known for developing the International Style in Germany and abroad, which emphasized function, balance, clean lines and the use of glass and steel.
Mies van der Rohe was born in 1886 in Aachen, Germany, a center of heavy industry. His father was a stonecutter and Mies, who was never formally trained in architecture, often worked with his father, developing his exceptional sensitivity to materials at a young age. At 15, he apprenticed with several architectural firms in Aachen, and in 1905 he moved to Berlin to work for architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul. He received his first independent commission in 1907, the Riehl House in Postdam, and it caught the attention of Peter Behrens, the most progressive architect of the era. Mies joined the firm, where he met Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, who were also working under Behrens. From 1915 to 1918, he served in the war and, upon returning to Berlin, became involved in the very active artistic scene of the 1920s, when Bauhaus De Stijl and Expressionism were all emerging. In 1924, Mies met Lilly Reich, whom he collaborated and was involved with for many years; together, they designed the Barcelona chair, which debuted at the Mies-designed Germany pavilion for the World’s Fair in 1929 and is now regarded as one of the most iconic designs of the modern era.
Auction Results Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
