Marcel Breuer

Architect

Birthday May 22, 1902

Birth Sign Gemini

Birthplace Hungary

DEATH DATE Jul 1, 1981 (79)

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About

Remembered for his modernist works of architecture, he is famous for designing The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Robinson House and the Paris headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Before Fame

He trained at the famous Bauhaus art school in Germany and went on to work for Jack Pritchard's Isokon architectural company in England.

Trivia

He was the 1968 recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal. He was a furniture designer as well as an architect; his most famous work in this area is the Wassily Chair of 1925.

Family Life

A native of Pecs, Austria-Hungary, Marcel Breuer (nicknamed Lajko) taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) before ultimately settling in New York City. He and his wife, Connie, were parents to children named Cesca and Tom.

Associated With

Early in his career, Breuer was mentored by fellow modernist architect Walter Gropius.