1929
The best of his works of the European period. The building’s flat floor slab is supported by thin metal supports; walls, freed from constructive function, only dissect and organize space. They do not form complete volumes, do not block space, but, as it were, direct its continuous flow. There is no clear boundary between internal and external space in this structure. The expressiveness of the composition is enhanced by the contrasts of materials – travertine and onyx – wall cladding, glass of different colors and shiny steel supports. The composition of the building includes a reservoir of strict contours with a bronze figure of a dancing girl standing in the middle of it (sculptor G. Kolbe).
About the functional purpose of the pavilion, Mies van der Rohe said, “The building has a long life, it survives most of its main functions and therefore must meet other purposes, and its beauty must remain the only constant factor at all times.” The pavilion in Barcelona was the beginning of Mies van der Rohe’s career as a master of sophisticated and elegant unique pieces of modern Western architecture. The concept of the unity of the interior space of the building, declared by the pavilion, was consistently developed in the future work of the master.