“All too often, depending on the case, the client is not seen as a protagonist.” (Michelangelo Sabatino)
The first seven episodes of the podcast are dedicated to architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and designer Lilly Reich. In episode 3, I talk to Michelangelo Sabatino, an architectural historian at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He recently published a beautiful book* about Mies van der Rohe's House for Edith Farnsworth which was built around 1950 close to Chicago. It is the most radical and beautiful house Mies ever built. A one-room house made of glass, surrounded by trees next to the Fox river.
But Sabatino doesn’t just discuss the architecture of the house. The focus is on the client, Edith Farnsworth. “I have made the case that Edith was not a mere client, but she was a client patron.” (Michelangelo Sabatino) Edith Farnsworth was convinced by Mies and gave him free rein. At the beginning she even believed that her house “might well become the prototype of a new and important element in American architecture.” That was from her memoirs 20 years later, published in Sabatinos book. But then conflicts arose. A legendary legal battle ensued, involving the press and leading to a deep rift. Edith Farnsworth never got over it. Even 20 years later, she remained unforgiving. She was never able to celebrate herself for having made this iconic building possible. And neither did the research.
“…there's a lot of innuendo about her being in love with Mies and Mies not being in love with her. But the reality is she was a medical doctor. She was an educated woman that understood expertise and professionalism.” (Michelangelo Sabatino)
We talk about Edith Farnsworth, Mies' beginnings in America, and the tasks of being the client, which should not be underestimated.
*The Edith Farnsworth House: Architecture, Preservation, Culture by Michelangelo Sabatino and others (Monacelli 2024)
A Translation into German is soon available on our Website www.projektmik.com
The Episode was recorded in Krefeld by Studio K22
