Robert van 't Hoff

Dutch architect Robert van ’t Hoff (1887-1979) created innovative designs for houses at the beginning of the twentieth century; Verloop Summer House and Villa Henny are the most striking. Villa Henny brought him international fame. This beautiful ‘concrete villa’, realized around 1918, has become an icon of modernist architecture and ranks as a classic example from the early years of Nieuwe Bouwen in the Netherlands: the Dutch branch of the modernist architecture movement. Van ’t Hoff was one of the founders of De Stijl, the group of artists centred round the magazine of the same name. He proved himself to be a critical member of the international avant-garde, with his architectural designs and theoretical writings. As an architect, his aim was to play an influential role in the realization of a new society with greater social equality and less private property. He designed several residential communes and he wrote fiery manifestos to achieve his aims. In this first monograph about Robert van ’t Hoff, all his projects are described and richly illustrated; furthermore, Van ’t Hoff’s most important writings have been included. Three authors analyse the development in his fascinating body of work, the underlying philosophy and the significance of this radical architect for who art and revolution were so closely linked.