Richard Neutra

Austrian-born American architect Richard Neutra was of Jewish descent and belonged to the classical modernism movement. He studied from 1910-18 at the Technical University in Wien (Vienna). He then first worked in Berlin and married Swiss cello player Dione Niedermann in 1922. Only one year later they moved to New York, where he was deeply influenced by his friend, Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1925 the couple went to Los Angeles, where Neutra was then working with Rudolf Schindler. In 1929 Neutra received US citizenship, starting his own practice one year later.

Neutra designed mainly in the modern Californian style and developed it further. He combined light metal structures with stucco to produce a bright, light and air permeable ensemble. He also specialized in the integration of architecture with carefully arranged gardens and landscapes. In the late 1960s Neutra returned to Wien (Vienna) to spend his twilight years.

Neutra’s Rush City Reformed of 1928 was actually an intensive theoretical exercise for its students in architecture and urban planning. The purpose of the Rush City Air Transfer was to show how the arrivals and departures of the airport of a utopian metropolis can be combined with other elements of the transport infrastructure.