Roger Brown and Miesian Metropolitanism

Midcentury art and architecture are too often studied separately. In the case of Roger Brown and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the cultural influences and societal undercurrents acting on these great Chicago Modernists brought their work closer together.

Brown the artist and Mies the architect were towering figures in their respective practices—beacons of pure intention and masterful execution. Many of Brown’s paintings ruminate on buildings and contemporary cityscapes, and architecture was central to Brown and his life partner, George Veronda, an accomplished architect and designer. Not by accident, Mies’ restrained architectural compositions doubles as exceptional showcases for Modern art, in both residential and commercial contexts. This exhibition will put their work side by side to provide a fresh perspective on the aesthetic interplay and philosophical crosscurrents that informed the careers of two of the 20th century’s most distinctive creative minds. This includes Brown’s piece, “Me’s Modern City: View from the Veronda,” INSIDE the Edith Farnsworth House!