Now in Paperback Winner of the Society of Architectural Historians 2002 Philip Johnson Award for Excellence This in-depth look at Mies van der Rohe's early career is the first to examine the architect's work in Europe in terms of its specific historical and cultural contexts, rather than the more formal arguments of the International Style. While earlier studies have described a fundamental break between Mies's neoclassical work prior to 1919 and the more avant-garde work of the 1920s, recent research demonstrates that the transformation was much more gradual. Here 11 scholars and architectural historians explore particular aspects of Mies's work, together shedding new light on the continual interplay of tradition and innovation, nature and abstraction, in the evolution of his design theories and methods. With a wealth of photographs and drawings, many not previously published, this book conveys the dynamic intellectual ferment of this formative period in the life of one of architecture's towering figures. This volume is published to accompany a groundbreaking 2001 exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.