Essentially dubbed the Frank Llyoyd Wright of Europe by Wright himself, Adolf Loos possessed a talent for architecture and interior design as potent as his outspoken criticism of Art Nouveau and excessive ornamentation. A forerunner of the International Style, Loos exercised immense restraint in his building projects as well as his designs for chairs, tables, storage pieces and other furniture, and wrote prolifically on his disdain for taking a decorative approach to architecture.
The son of a stonemason and sculptor, Loos was born in 1870 in what is now Brno in the Czech Republic. He studied architecture in Dresden in 1889, completed a year of military service and moved to the United States by 1893. He visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and came to appreciate the American approach to design over his three-year stay before returning to Vienna.
An avid proponent of simplicity, Loos hated fluff above all else. In his best known essay, “Ornament and Crime,” he states “the evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornamentation from objects of everyday use” — a principle evident in both his architectural work and furniture. His writing was profoundly influential for practitioners of the International Style that would emerge later as well as the likes of prolific Swiss-born French architect and modernist prophet Le Corbusier.
Loos challenged the prevailing architecture and decorating styles of his time, and disliked the ornate work associated with the Vienna Secession and Gesamtkunstwerk — the concept of a house as total work of art — an ideal pursued by a collective born from the Secession called the Wiener Werkstätte. To Loos, design should prioritize function, and any ornamentation devoid of a structural purpose was childish and unnecessary.
Loos’s furniture — alongside the work of fellow Austrian architect Josef Hoffman — was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts in 2014. His architecture projects, including the Viennese Goldman and Salatsch building, the Austrian Steiner House and the Villa Müller in Prague, are celebrated by design enthusiasts all over the world.
Find vintage Adolf Loos seating, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Adolf Loos Jugendstil Mantelpiece-Clock Solid Brass Facetted Glass, Re-Edition
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Mantelpiece clock, often used by Adolf Loos in houses he designed. Casted brass-frame on four Rhomboid legs, strengthened edges leading to octagonal side frames, facettet glasses, cl...
Brass
$4,326
H 33 in W 18 in D 8.25 in
Large Arts & Crafts Brass & Oak Gustave Serrurier-Bovy Style Wall Clock, ca 1900
By Gustave Serrurier-Bovy
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautiful and stylish clock, in good working order. If you are looking for an exceptionally designed clock from the Arts & Crafts era then this rare wall clock could be yours to o...
Brass
Lenzkirch Mantel Clock, Art Nouveau Jugendstil
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Lenzkirch Art Nouveau Jugendstil mantle clock This German clock features stylized accents heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau and Jugendstil era. I...
Antique Monkey Barber Animated Brass-Cased Novelty Clock
Located in Forney, TX
A most amusing late 19th / early 20th century animated novelty clock, depicting monkey barber giving a haircut with disastrous results. Art Nouveau period, brass-cased, gimbal suppo...
Brass
$1,428Sale Price|65% Off
H 19.69 in W 17.72 in D 6.7 in
Napoleon III Mantel Clock or Console 180s Black Marble and Solid Brass Sculpture
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Napoleon III Mantel Clock or Console 180s Black Marble and Solid Brass Sculpture
Marble, Brass
Jugendstil mantel clock by Junghans Darmstadt
By Junghans Uhren GmbH
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Jugendstil mantel clock by Junghans Darmstadt. Professionally stained and repolished.
Brass
Antique Brass Hunting Clock
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
Novelty Desk Hunting Clock With Barometer. A rare and very unusual late 19th Century novelty fox hunting clock and barometer. The brass desk piece has a ...
Brass
Small jugendstil mantel clock by Junghans Darmstadt
By Junghans Uhren GmbH
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Small jugendstil mantel clock by Junghans Darmstadt in excellent original condition.
Tin
Adolf Loos Vienna Modernism Wall Clock by Junghans, Germany, 1920s
By Adolf Loos, Junghans Uhren GmbH
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful minimalist wall clock, dating back to around 1920, designed by Adolf Loos (1870–1933), manufactured by Junghans Germany. This clock stands out with its unmistakable octag...
Metal, Brass, Enamel, Sheet Metal
$5,700
H 17.33 in W 11.03 in D 10.24 in
Antique French Mantelpiece / Clock, Deniere a Paris, circa 1880
Located in Berlin, DE
Antique French mantelpiece / clock, Deniere a Paris, circa 1880 All-round glazed, fire-gilded bronze case with relief decoration, on an alabaster ba...
Marble, Brass
$1,695
H 13.4 in W 9 in D 4.9 in
Superb Arts and Crafts Nutwood and Brass Pendulum / Table Clock or Desk Clock
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautiful and stylish clock, in good working order. If you are looking for an exceptionally designed clock from the Arts & Crafts era then this rare mantel clock could be yours to enjoy soon. You will rarely find a table clock...
Metal, Brass
$689Sale Price|34% Off
H 1.97 in W 3.55 in D 3.55 in
1960s Omega 8-Day Solid Brass Gold Gilt Desk Clock Ref. 5550
By Omega
Located in Krefeld, DE
Beautiful solid brass gold gilt desk clock by Omega from the 1960's. The clock comes with the original and good working 8-day movement, the dial is signed with Omega. Backside the Re...
Brass
Erhard & Söhne Jugendstil Table Clock 1910 Austria
By Erhard & Söhne
Located in Den Haag, NL
Beautiful Art Nouveau Desk Clock .Manufactured by Erhard & Söhne in Austria 1910 Burl wood with Brass inlay . Superb craftsman work . The movement was worn out . So i sent it to a...
Burl