Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a pioneering German-American architect and designer, celebrated as one of the foremost figures of modernist architecture. Known for his minimalist aesthetic and the maxim "less is more," Mies emphasized clarity, structural integrity, and the use of modern materials such as steel and glass. His influential designs, including the Barcelona Pavilion, the Farnsworth House, and New York’s Seagram Building (with Philip Johnson), embody a refined elegance rooted in rational geometry and open spatial concepts. As director of the Bauhaus before its closure and later head of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Mies helped shape 20th-century architectural thought and education.