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 The Exhibition

 

 

An exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum in co-operation with the RIBA Trust and the Netherlands Architecture Institute. Curators: Stanislaus von Moos, Arthur Rüegg, Mateo Kries

 

Undoubtedly the single most influential architect of the 20th century, Le Corbusier was also the most controversial. Across the world, his revolutionary designs were instrumental in the development of modern architecture, forever changing the environment in which we live.

From high rise towers to furniture design, his vision of functionalism – using modern materials and engineering techniques – provided radical yet practical solutions to modern urban living, which still evoke strong views today.

The venue

The exhibition is showing, as part of Liverpool 2008, European Capital of Culture in the dramatic Crypt of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

This is the first time that the rarely seen Crypt has been open for a major exhibition. Designed by the celebrated English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1930, it was to have formed part of a vast cathedral that was never built.

Exhibition overview

Featuring unique drawings, models, paintings, furniture, photographs and films, Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture takes an in depth look at the projects, interiors and art of Le Corbusier and reveals the man behind the myth.

The exhibition presents his most important architectural projects, furniture and interior designs, his paintings, textiles, drawings and books. It gives a comprehensive introduction to Le Corbusier's work and influences, but also reveals new views on Le Corbusier for people already familiar with his architecture.

As indicated by the title 'The Art of Architecture', the exhibition focuses on Le Corbusier's concept of the synthesis of arts - fusing art, architecture, design, urban planning, film and other disciplines into a creative view of the contemporary environment that shaped the 20th century.

The exhibition includes:

 

• original architectural models
• furniture
• vintage prints
• drawings and paintings
• specially built models
• reconstructions of historical interiors

Previously unpublished material includes original film footage by Le Corbusier, the large-scale mural painting from his own office and reconstructions of architectural models built by Le Corbusier, such as 'Ville Contemporaine', the monumental model of his utopian masterplan for Paris.

Themes

The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections:

1. Contexts
Contexts is organised around the five cities that shaped Le Corbusier's life and work and his ideas about the built environment: La Chaux-de-Fonds, Paris, Algiers, New York and Chandigarh. These cities illustrate the historical and social context that shaped Le Corbusier's work, provide important cultural references and introduce some of his main works.

2. Privacy and Publicity
Privacy and Publicity consists of seven settings representing seminal houses or interiors using either large models or reconstructed rooms. Examples range from Le Corbusier's early works in La Chaux-de-Fonds, to the famous settings in the Pavillon de l'Esprit Nouveau and the Salon d'Automne, to his artistic concepts from the 1930s and 40s. Chairs, tables and other pieces of furniture shown in the context of these projects are clearly presented as part of a typological evolution from the 'primitive' to the 'standard' type. A selection of paintings, sculptures and tapestries gives further insights into Le Corbusier's artistic preoccupation with the human environment.

3. Built Art
Built Art is a bold dramatisation of Le Corbusier's large-scale projects mainly from his late period. It includes six to eight 'large projects' including the Palais des Nations, Geneva (1927), the Soviet Palace competition project (1933), Unité d'Habitation in Marseilles (1947-1952), the chapel at Ronchamp (1955), the Philips Pavilion in Brussels (1958) and the Capitol buildings at Chandigarh (1954-1958). Large-scale models, digital animations and documentary films help explain the ambition behind these projects, namely, to redefine public space and give meaning to the concept of the 'monumental' in 20th century architecture.

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