It all began when four artists from Austria and Germany at a Los Angeles artists’ residency decided to reconstruct Adolf Loos’ famous American Bar. Because they realized that the classic, elegant bar, a significant example of Austrian modernism, would fit perfectly into their backyard studio – just on a slightly smaller scale.

With modest financial resources, mahogany became cardboard, glass became mosquito mesh, and rather than signature cocktails, everything was served simply “on the rocks”.

Even in this DIY version, the Viennese charm of the iconic original asserted itself, and before long the LA art scene was drinking and sweating between the pressboard walls. Two years later, the bar was rebuilt in the basement of an art space in Brussels using only reeds to create the interior.