Richard Neutra was born in Vienna in 1892. He graduated in 1917 from the Technische Hochschule, Vienna, where he had been taught by Adolf Loos, and was influenced by Otto Wagner. In 1912 he met Rudolph Schindler, and, like him and like many other Europeans at the time, he was deeply affected by the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright He worked for Erich Mendelsohn in 1921-22 and in 1923 emigrated to the United States where he worked on several projects with Rudolf N. Schindler before establishing his own practice.  .

Neutra created a modern regionalism for Southern California which combined a light metal frame with a stucco finish to create a light effortless appearance.  He specialized in extending architectural space into a carefully arranged landscape. The dramatic images of flat-surfaced, industrialized residential buildings contrasted against nature were popularized by the Photography of Julius Shulman.

An experienced and outspoken writer and speaker, Neutra worked with a series of successful partners including his wife, Dione, from 1922, his protégé, Robert Alexander, from 1949-58 and his son, Dion from 1965. He adamantly believed that modern architecture must act as a social force in the betterment of mankind.

Neutra's most widely recognized project was the Kauffman House (1946) built in Palm Springs.  In addition to homes, Neutra designed many distinguished public buildings including the Los Angeles Hall of Records (1961-2).  Neutra died in adopted home of Los Angeles April 10, 1970.  Though Neutra’s professional legacy is preserved in public collections, archives and extensive publications examples of his freehand renderings and presentation materials in private collections are rare. Recently an exhibit entitled Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings at the Los Angeles Public Library in 2009.