Architect · Austria and United States · 1892-1970
Richard Neutra Biography, Buildings and Best Books
Austrian-American architect (1892-1970) whose light, steel-framed houses defined Southern California modernism, from the Lovell Health House to the Kaufmann Desert House.
Photo: Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Biography
Richard Neutra (1892-1970) was an Austrian-American architect and one of the pioneers of modern architecture in the United States. His light, transparent houses, set within carefully studied landscapes, made Southern California a laboratory of modern living and anticipated a design approach rooted in human well-being.
Vienna and Berlin
Born in Vienna, Neutra studied at the city’s Technische Hochschule and was influenced by Adolf Loos and the work of Otto Wagner. After the First World War he worked in Berlin with Erich Mendelsohn before emigrating to the United States in 1923, where he spent a short period at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin.
The Lovell Health House
Settling in Los Angeles in 1925, Neutra completed the Lovell Health House in 1929, a steel-framed house hung into a hillside that was among the first examples of the International Style in America and made his name. His own VDL Research House in Silver Lake followed in 1932.
Desert and Hillside Houses
After the Second World War Neutra designed a series of celebrated houses, including the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs (1946) and the Tremaine House in Montecito, in which sliding glass walls, reflecting pools and outriggers dissolved the boundary between interior and landscape. In 1949 he appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Survival Through Design
In his 1954 book Survival Through Design, Neutra argued that architecture should be grounded in biology and psychology to support human health. He practiced in partnership with Robert Alexander and later with his son Dion, and died in Wuppertal, Germany, in 1970. The AIA awarded him its Gold Medal posthumously in 1977.
Neutra: Complete Works
Barbara Lamprecht’s 464-page TASCHEN monograph documents Neutra’s complete built work, with drawings and Julius Shulman’s photographs that helped define the image of California modernism.
View on AmazonLooking for a shorter introduction? Neutra, TASCHEN Basic Art Series (96 pages).
Timeline
- 1892Born on 8 April in Vienna.
- 1918Completes his studies at the Technische Hochschule in Vienna.
- 1921Joins the office of Erich Mendelsohn in Berlin.
- 1922Marries Dione Niedermann.
- 1923Emigrates to the United States.
- 1924Works briefly at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin.
- 1925Moves to Los Angeles.
- 1929Completes the Lovell Health House in Los Angeles.
- 1932Completes the VDL Research House, his home and studio in Silver Lake.
- 1946Completes the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs.
- 1948Completes the Tremaine House in Montecito.
- 1949Appears on the cover of Time magazine.
- 1954Publishes Survival Through Design.
- 1966Rebuilds the VDL Research House with his son Dion after a fire.
- 1970Dies on 16 April in Wuppertal, Germany.
- 1977Receives the AIA Gold Medal posthumously.
Best Books on Richard Neutra
The Architecture of Richard Neutra: From International Style to California Modern
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Richard Neutra known for?
Richard Neutra is known for light, steel-framed modern houses in Southern California, such as the Lovell Health House and the Kaufmann Desert House, which blur the boundary between interior and landscape, and for his ideas on design and human well-being.
What are Richard Neutra’s most famous buildings?
His most celebrated works include the Lovell Health House in Los Angeles (1929), the VDL Research House in Silver Lake (1932), the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs (1946) and the Tremaine House in Montecito (1948).
What is the best book about Richard Neutra?
For a complete overview we recommend Neutra: Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (TASCHEN). For a short introduction, choose Neutra from the TASCHEN Basic Art series, and for the definitive biography, Thomas S. Hines’s Richard Neutra and the Search for Modern Architecture.
What architectural style is Richard Neutra?
Neutra was one of the leading architects of the International Style in the United States and a defining figure of Southern California and mid-century modernism.
Where can you visit Richard Neutra’s buildings?
The VDL Research House in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, is open for tours. Many of his houses are private and can only be seen from the street, including the Lovell Health House and the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs.
