Marcel Breuer, Design and architecture

The designer and architect Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) numbers among the most important and prolific designers of the twentieth century. While today he is best known for his furniture, he regarded himself first and foremost as an architect. The tubular steel pieces created by Breuer during his tenure at the Bauhaus such as the Wassily armchair and also the aluminum and molded plywood pieces from the 1930s must be counted among the great classics of modernism. In the thirties, Breuer began a second, highly successful career as an architect. In the postwar era he was one of the most influential und internationally renowned architects of his time. The retrospective produced by the Vitra Design Museum pays tribute to Breuer’s well-known contributions to 20th century design history. Yet it also brings renewed attention to his architectural works which have fallen somewhat into oblivion in the past decades. This catalogue is the first to give proper attention to both areas of Marcel Breuer’s work. “Marcel Breuer – Design and Architecture”, includes essays by several renowned experts on Marcel Breuer, such as Joachim Driller, Isabelle Hyman, Otakar Máčel and Barry Bergdoll. In addition to these and several other essays, the catalogue includes texts by Marcel Breuer and personal accounts by I. M. Pei and Robert F. Gatje, a former partner of Breuer.