Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 – 1969) was an architect of German-American descent.

The Barcelona chair, Brno chair and of the cantilever chair are among his best known works in the field of furniture design. He also coined the expression "Less is more".

In addition to designing furniture, Mies van der Rohe is one of the most important modernist architects of the 20th century. From 1930-1032 he was the director of the Bauhaus Dessau.

The defining element of his buildings were large windows. This style is evident in his most famous buildings, such as the Barcelona Pavilion for the World Expo 1929, the Farnsworth House (1951), the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago (1951), the Crown Hall, Chicago (1956), the Seagram Building New York (1958) and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin (1967).

Mies van der Rohe emigrated to the United States in 1938, after his modern architectural style was rejected by the fascists. In 1944 he became an American citizen.

After suffering from esophageal cancer, he died in 1969 from pneumonia at the age of 83.