Visions of modernity Architect, artist, designer, and visionary, Frederick Kiesler was one of the most fascinating figures of the twentieth century. He staged unconventional exhibitions that became an art form, bridging the gap between Viennese Modernism and De Stijl, Surrealism and the American avant-garde of the 1960s. Probably no other artist has worked for so long in such different worlds and so widely as he has. His innovative works respond to their environment—no object exists on its own. For him, life and art were always in motion and interchangeable.