“The architect who really designs for a human being has to know a great deal more than just the Five Canons of Vitruvius.” –Richard Neutra

Richard Neutra is perhaps the most celebrated american mid-century modernist architect. Having moved to Los Angeles from Berlin in 1923, the Vienna-born architect’s american practice was centered upon southern california. Neutra’s modernist approach incorporates modernism’s clean lines and proportions, the use of honest, elemental materials, an absence of ornamentation but also adds a strong emphasis upon practicality and comfort.

Though Modernism is sometimes criticized for imposing universal rules on different people and areas, it was Richard J. Neutra’s (April 8, 1892 – April 16, 1970) intense client focus that won him acclaim. His personalized and flexible version of modernism created a series of private homes that were – and still are – highly sought after, making him one of the United States’ most significant mid century modernists. His architecture of simple geometry and airy steel and glass became the subject of the iconic photographs of Julius Schulman, and came to stand for an entire era of American design.- “Spotlight on Richard Neutra,”Arch Daily, 8 April 2016, http://www.archdaily.com/tag/richard-neutra