The reconstruction of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's German Pavilion in Barcelona

Yves Klein had painted monochromes as early as 1949, and held the first private exhibition of this work in 1950-but his first public showing was the publication of the Artist's book Yves: Peintures in November 1954. Minimalism was also a reaction against the painterly subjectivity of Abstract Expressionism that had been dominant in the New York School during the 1940s and 1950s. Minimal art is also inspired in part by the paintings of Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, Josef Albers, and the works of artists as diverse as Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio Morandi, and others. In a more broad and general sense, one finds European roots of minimalism in the geometric abstractions of painters associated with the Bauhaus, in the works of Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian and other artists associated with the De Stijl movement, and the Russian Constructivist movement, and in the work of the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. Kazimir Malevich, Black Square, 1915, oil on canvas, 79.5 x 79.5 cm, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow The Argentine artist and philosopher Eduardo Sanguinetti, precursor of minimalism in Latin America, rigorously applies the tendency to reduce expression to a minimum in his musical, written or visual actions, defining minimalism as 'the maximum in the minimum'. The word was first used in English in the early 20th century to describe a 1915 composition by the Soviet painter Kasimir Malevich, Black Square. It has accordingly been used to describe the plays and novels of Samuel Beckett, the films of Robert Bresson, the stories of Raymond Carver, and the automobile designs of Colin Chapman. The term minimalist often colloquially refers to anything or anyone that is spare or stripped to its essentials. Minimalism in music often features repetition and gradual variation, such as the works of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Julius Eastman and John Adams. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction against abstract expressionism and modernism it anticipated contemporary postminimal art practices, which extend or reflect on minimalism's original objectives. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt and Frank Stella. In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. 4A on Strada Dimitrie Racoviță, Bucharest, Romania, 2017, by Corina Dîndărean While minimalist design can be applied to every room in the house-from the kitchen to the bathroom, or nursery-one of the easiest places to start is the living room, that collective gathering place whose purpose is to connect with friends and family, to relax and recharge, and that requires only a handful of key elements to become a functional and beautiful space that leaves room for all kinds of living.Ĭheck out these stylish modern living rooms that approach minimalism in varying ways and degrees, from stark black-and-white interiors to pared down rooms that use color and decor in bold and concentrated ways, to inspire you to design a minimalist living room focused on what is most essential to you.Top: Untitled, by Donald Judd, concrete sculpture, 1991, Israel MuseumĬentre: The Zollverein School of Management and Design Essen, Germany, 2005–2006, by SANAAīottom: House no.

Creating an unencumbered room that focuses on space, light, materials, shapes, and creating an effortless flow that makes it natural and instinctive to use is one way to quiet the noise of the outside world and build an oasis of calm and order over the things you can control. Having fewer possessions is easier on the wallet, kinder to the planet, and makes everyday life simpler and less overwhelming. When it comes to home decor, while there is nothing wrong with conscious maximalism, a minimalist approach that focuses on a less-is-more aesthetic where everything has a purpose and rooms are focused on the essentials, is popular for reasons both big and small. Minimalism might be a trend made popular by the modern day battle against consumerist clutter, but it is rooted in the long and influential history of minimalist design in architecture, interiors, art, graphics, fashion, and virtually every other facet of design. The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.

Minimalist aesthetic art