LE CORBUSIER
FURNITURE AND INTERIORS 1905 – 1965
Arthur Rüegg
Arthur Rüegg: LE CORBUSIER: FURNITURE AND INTERIORS 1905 – 1965. Zürich: Foundation Le Corbusier in association with Scheidegger and Spiess, 2012. First English-language edition. Quarto. Orange cloth stamped in white. Photo illustrated Publishers obi. 415 pp. 600 color plates, 200 halftone illustrations. A new copy, still in Pub;ishers shrinkwrap.
9.5 x 11.25 hardcover book with 415 pages and 600 color plates, 200 halftone illustrations. A comprehensive examination of Le Corbusier's approach to furniture design and the cultural and historical contect for such designs. Virtually self-taught, it's amazing that so many of his furniture designs--the LC1 sling chair, the LC2 series, and the iconic chaise longue among many other designs — are still produced to this day. Like so many modern pieces they have transcended their utilitarian function to become signifiers of refined taste and elegance with prices to match.
“Rüegg’s magnificent new book, Le Corbusier. Furniture and Interiors 1910–1965, presents an aspect of Le Corbusier’s career that is little known, especially in the English-speaking world: his lifelong preoccupation with the decorative arts. . . . The book is a superb contribution to Le Corbusier scholarship, one that far surpasses previous studies and reveals a profound understanding not only of his furniture and interiors but also of the man himself.” (Journal of Design History 2015-08-13)
Presenting illustrations gathered together for the first time, Le Corbusier. Furniture and Interiors is a comprehensive account of Le Corbusier’s extensive work in furniture and interior design. As a young architect, Swiss-born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret primarily worked in designed furnishings. After he moved to Paris in the early 1920s and adopted his now famous moniker, Le Corbusier developed a particular interest in équipement, a term he coined for the essential furnishings of a residence. He focused specifically on tables, cabinets, and eventually the chrome and leather chairs—designed in collaboration with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand—for which he became famous. These pieces exhibit Le Corbusier’s trademark metal detailing and elegant austerity. After World War II, Le Corbusier shifted to more functional designs for use in everyday life. These wooden pieces resemble packing crates, evoking a rustic design aesthetic rooted in functionality.
Le Corbusier. Furniture and Interiorsis the authoritative book on Le Corbusier’s work as an interior designer. A stunning catalog in scale and scope, it follows the evolution of his style chronologically, making it an easy-to-use resource for both scholars and general readers. Entire apartments by Le Corbusier are described in careful detail with complementary images. Drawing upon previously unpublished material and new research, this equally well-designed book contains hundreds of illustrations, making it an invaluable resource for art historians, dealers, and collectors.
Contents:
- Preface
- Charles-Edouard Jeanneret: Decorative Arts, Period Furniture, Industrial Culture
- Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret: Learning from Objects
- Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand: New Furniture for a New World
- Le Corbuiser: The Monumental and the Everyday
- Furniture and Interiors: Catalogue raisonné
- 1. Charles-Edouard Jeanneret
- 2. Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret
- 3. Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand
- 4. Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret
- 5. Le Corbusier
- 6. Collection «Cassina | Maestri»
- Biographies
- Bibliography
- Credits
- Index
Few would protest that Le Corbusier (1887-1965), Charles Edouard Jenneret, is one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. He articulated provocative ideas, created revolutionary designs and demonstrated a strong, if utopian, sense of purpose – to meet the needs of a democratic society dominated by the machine.
Le Corbusier, like his father, began by learning the art of metal engraving. However, he was encouraged by a teacher to take up architecture and built his first house at the age of 18 for a member of his school's teaching staff. In 1908, he went to Paris and began to practice with Auguste Pierret, an architect known for his pioneering use of concrete and reinforced steel. Moving to Berlin, Le Corbusier worked with Peter Behrens, who taught him about industrial processes and machine design. In 1917, he returned to Paris where he met post-cubist Amedee Ozenfant and developed Purism, a new concept of painting. In 1920, still in Paris, he adopted the pseudonym, Le Corbusier.
Paradoxically, Le Corbusier combined a passion for classical Greek architecture and an attraction to the modern machine. He published his ideas in a book entitled, Vers une Architecture, in which he refers to the house as a "machine for living," an industrial product that should include functional furniture or "equipment de l'habitation." In this spirit, Le Corbusier co-designed a system of furniture with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand. The tubular steel furniture projected a new rationalist aesthetic that came to epitomize the International Style.
During the 1920's and 30's, Le Corbu concentrated on architecture and during the 1950's he moved towards more expressive forms that revealed the sculptural potential of concrete. Over the decades, his work has included mass housing blocks, public buildings and individual villas, all conceived with what he called the "engineer's aesthetic." [xlist_2018]