CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
List of Illustrations
Preface
Le Corbusier
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
PHOTO INSERT ONE
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXII
CHAPTER XXIII
CHAPTER XXIV
CHAPTER XXV
CHAPTER XXVI
CHAPTER XXVII
CHAPTER XXVIII
CHAPTER XXIX
CHAPTER XXX
CHAPTER XXXI
CHAPTER XXXII
CHAPTER XXXIII
CHAPTER XXXIV
CHAPTER XXXV
CHAPTER XXXVI
CHAPTER XXXVII
CHAPTER XXXVIII
CHAPTER XXXIX
CHAPTER XL
CHAPTER XLI
CHAPTER XLII
CHAPTER XLIII
CHAPTER XLIV
CHAPTER XLV
CHAPTER XLVI
CHAPTER XLVII
CHAPTER XLVIII
CHAPTER XLIX
PHOTO INSERT TWO
CHAPTER L
CHAPTER LI
CHAPTER LII
CHAPTER LIII
CHAPTER LIV
CHAPTER LV
CHAPTER LVI
CHAPTER LVII
CHAPTER LVIII
CHAPTER LIX
CHAPTER LX
Acknowledgments
Notes
Also by Nicholas Fox Weber
Copyright
For Nancy
In his highest flights, musical and architectural above all, for they are one, man gives the illusion of rivalling the order, the majesty and the splendor of the heavens.
HENRY MILLER, The Colossus of Maroussi
ILLUSTRATIONS
Front Matter Looking out from 20 rue Jacob, mid-1920s. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Front Matter Marie Charlotte Amélie Jeanneret-Perret, Le Corbusier’s mother, at about the age of ninety-eight. Fondation Le Corbusier
Front Matter Photo taken by Robert Doisneau in 1944. R. Doisneau/Rapho/Eyedea
Chapter I Military honor guard at Le Corbusier’s funeral service in the Cour Carrée du Louvre, September 2, 1965. Photo AFP
Chapter I Entering the sea at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, August 1965. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter I Le Corbusier’s casket entering the Cour Carrée du Louvre, September 2, 1965. Courtesy Archive Photos
Chapter I André Malraux giving his homily at Le Corbusier’s funeral service. Courtesy Archive Photos
Chapter I Le Corbusier and André Malraux laying the cornerstone for the Assembly Building in Chandigarh in 1952. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter I Yvonne, late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter I Yvonne (in duck mask), late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter I Sketch of a femur by Le Corbusier. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter I Drawing of Georges-Edouard Jeanneret made on the night he died. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter II Charles-Edouard Jeanneret with his family (December 1889). Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter II Edouard, age three, and Albert, age five (1890). Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter II Marie Charlotte and Georges-Edouard Jeanneret, ca. 1900. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Chapter II Charles L’Eplattenier, ca. 1905. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Chapter II With his parents and Albert in the family apartment in La Chaux-de-Fonds, ca. 1905. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter III With Albert in La Chaux-de-Fonds, ca. 1905. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter V In Paris, ca. 1908. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter V Dressed as a “rapin” in his garret at 9 rue des Ecoles, Paris (1908–1909). Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter V With Albert at 3 quai Saint-Michel, 1908. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter V Self-portrait drawing as the “Grand Condor,” on a postcard to his parents, Christmas 1909. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Chapter VI With his parents in La Chaux-de-Fonds, 1909. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter VI Portrait of William Ritter by Charles-Edouard Jeanneret. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter VI Self-portrait in a letter to his parents, June 29, 1910. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter VIII Sketch showing a view of the Acropolis, September 1911. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter VIII Resting on a column of the Parthenon, September 1911. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter VIII At the Acropolis, September 1911. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter VIII Auguste Klipstein and Charles-Edouard Jeanneret performing the dance of Salomé in Pera (Istanbul), July 1911. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter IX At “Le Couvent” in La Chaux-de-Fonds, 1912. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter IX The Villa Jeanneret-Perret, also called the Maison Blanche, in the snow, ca. 1912. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter IX With his father in the garden of the Villa Jeanneret-Perret, ca. 1916. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter IX With his parents and brother in the garden of the Villa Jeanneret-Perret, ca. 1916. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XII At 20 rue Jacob, late 1920s. Photo by Brassaï. © Estate Brassaï–RMN, gestion droits d’auteur © F.L.C./ADAGP
Chapter XIV Portrait of Amédée Ozenfant by Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, ca. 1920. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XIV Letter to his parents, with the menu of his banquet for Ozenfant prepared during World War I. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XIV Letter to his brother, June 1918. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XVI In his apartment at 20 rue Jacob, just prior to his show at THOMAS Tableaux, December 1918. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XVII With Ozenfant and Albert Jeanneret, August 1919. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XX Exterior of Ozenfant’s studio and residence in Paris, 1924. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XX Interior of Ozenfant’s studio. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXI Pastor Huguenin, Lotti and Albert Jeanneret, Pierre Jeanneret, and Le Corbusier at Lotti and Albert’s wedding ceremony, June 26, 1923. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXI Facade of the Villa La Roche, ca. 1925. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXI Raoul La Roche with his collection, ca. 1925. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXI Master bedroom of the Villa La Roche, known as the “Purist Bedroom.” Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXII At 20 rue Jacob, mid-1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXII Ca. 1920. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXII In front of the diagram of the Plan Voisin, 1925. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXII Driving a Fiat on the roof track of the Lingotto factory in Turin, mid-1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXII Exterior of the Pavilion de L’Esprit Nouveau, Paris, 1925. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIII At Pessac, ca. 1926. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIII With Yvonne at a masked ball, late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIII Letter to his mother, July 5, 1926. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIII With his mothe
r in the Villa Le Lac, late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIII With Pierre Jeanneret at Le Piquey, late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIV With Yvonne in Le Piquey, ca. 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIV With his mother and her dog Nora in Vevey, ca. 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Drawing of different ways of sitting, ca. 1928. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and others at the Salon d’Automne, Paris, 1922. Photo by Pierre Jeanneret. Archives Perriand, Paris
Chapter XXV Charlotte Perriand resting on the LC4 Lounge Chair. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Club Chair, 1928. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Villa Stein–de Monzie in Garches, during construction, 1927–1928. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Villa Stein–de Monzie in Garches, front facade, 1928. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV El Lissitzky, Mondrian, and other visitors to the Villa Stein–de Monzie, late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Sketch of his father’s tomb in a letter to his mother, May 3, 1927. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXV Pierre Jeanneret, André Bauchant, Yvonne, and Le Corbusier standing with a painting by Bauchant of the four of them, early 1930s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXVI On the building site of the Centrosoyuz in Moscow, 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXVI With Sergei Eisenstein and Andrej Burow in Moscow, October 1928. Archives: Cabinet Ejzenstejn–Moscow
Chapter XXVII With Pierre Jeanneret and Lotti Jeanneret in the late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXVIII The Villa Savoye, shortly after construction, ca. 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXVIII On vacation at Le Piquey, late 1920s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIX With Josephine Baker aboard the Giulio Cesare en route to São Paulo via Montevideo, November 1929. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIX Drawing of drinking Neuchâtel wine, Rio, Copacabana Bay, 1929. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXIX In Indian army uniform, with Josephine Baker in whiteface, at a costume party on board the Lutétia, December 1929. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Chapter XXIX With Josephine Baker on board the Lutétia. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXX With Fernand Léger at Léger’s farm in Normandy, late 1920s. Lucien Hervé
Chapter XXX “Yvonne Le Corbusier,” ca. 1931. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXX With Yvonne’s parents in Monaco, ca. 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI With Léger and Pierre Jeanneret, motoring in Spain, July 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI The Villa de Mandrot, near Toulon, ca. 1931. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI Dressed as a cleaning woman, ca. 1930. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI Manipulating the roof of a model of the auditorium of the Palace of the Soviets, 1934. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI Lecturing in Barcelona, March 29, 1932. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI Sketch based on an Etruscan fresco he had seen in Tarquinia, drawn from memory, June 11, 1934. Collection Ahrenberg
Chapter XXXI Aboard the Patris II, on his way to CIAM IV in Athens, 1933. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, 1933. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI Le Corbusier and Yvonne At 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, ca. 1935. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXI Facade of the Cité de Refuge, ca. 1933. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXII “Skyscrapers Not Big Enough, Says Le Corbusier at First Sight.” Herald Tribune photo; Acme
Chapter XXXII Marguerite Tjader Harris sailing, Long Island Sound, 1920s. Private collection
Chapter XXXII At the Drake Hotel, Chicago, November 28, 1935. Photo by Robert Allan Jacobs. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Chapter XXXII Drawing of the “Piéton de Princeton,” made just before leaving the United States to return to France. Princeton Library
Chapter XXXII Drawing of Marguerite Tjader Harris, December 14, 1935. Frances Loeb Library, Gund Hall, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
Chapter XXXIII At 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, ca. 1935. Photo by Michel Sima, © Getty Images
Chapter XXXIII Sketches, early 1940s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIII Pavillon des Temps Nouveaux at the International Exposition, Paris, 1937. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIII In his studio At 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, late 1930s. Photo by Willy Maywald, Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIII Painting the exterior mural at the villa E. 1027, summer 1939. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIII In Saint-Tropez bay, summer 1938. Courtesy Jean-Pierre and Naïma Jornod
Chapter XXXIV On the balcony of his hotel in Vichy, 1942. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIV With a model for a skyscraper for Algiers, ca. 1939. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIV With his dog Pinceau I, ca. 1935. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXIV In the stadium at Vichy, August 31, 1941. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXVIII With Albert Einstein, Princeton, 1946. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XXXVIII At 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, late 1940s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XL With Hedwig Lauber in the mid-1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLI At lunch with Yvonne and others at l’Etoile de Mer, late 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLI “A 91 ans Marie Charlotte Amélie Jeanneret Perret règne sur le soleil, la lune, les monts, le lac et le foyer entourée de l’admiration affectueuse de ses enfants. 10 septembre 1951.” Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLIII Visiting Punjab in India in the early 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLIII With Telly Tata, Bombay, mid-1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLIII Comparing his model and the final result for the UN headquarters, early 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLIV With Nehru in India, mid-1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLIV With Pablo Picasso and Yvonne at l’Unité d’Habitation in Marseille in August 1949. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLIV Visiting the building site of l’Unité d’Habitation in August 1949 with Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLV L’Unité d’Habitation in Marseille, ca. 1952. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLV The pilotis at l’Unité d’Habitation in Marseille. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLV Albert and Marie Jeanneret playing music together at the Villa Le Lac in the late 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLVI In Chandigarh, mid-1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLVI An Indian bath: self-portrait drawn for his mother, 1953. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLVI With Pierre Jeanneret in Chandigarh. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLVII Meeting with Balkrishna Doshi on the site of the Millowners’ Building in Ahmedabad, ca. 1955. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLVII Millowners’ Building, interior, ca. 1955. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter XLVII Facing the High Court building in Chandigarh, mid-1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LI The roof of the Assembly Building in Chandigarh, late 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LI The Assembly Building in Chandigarh, late 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LI The Hall of Parliament in Chandigarh, late 1950s. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LI In front of the Secretariat and the High Court, Chandigarh, March 1958. Photo by Pierre Jeanneret.
Chapter LII Ca. 1950. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LII In the ruins of the chapel destroyed by German bombs, on the site of the future c
hurch of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, 1951. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LII Church of Ronchamp, under construction, ca. 1953. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LIV Ronchamp, view of chapel, ca. 1955. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LIV Interior view of entrance wall at Ronchamp, ca. 1955. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LIV With his dog Pinceau du Val d’Or (Pinceau II) At 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, ca. 1955. Photo by Robert Doisneau. R. Doisneau/Rapho/Eyedea
Chapter LV The inauguration ceremony at Ronchamp, June 26, 1955. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LVI The kitchen of the Villa Jaoul, Neuilly, France, ca. 1955. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LVI Yvonne in 1949. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LVII The Philips Pavilion at the Exposition Universelle of 1958. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LVII With his brother and his mother for what was said to be Marie’s hundredth-birthday party. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LVIII Light cannons at La Tourette, ca. 1957. Burri
Chapter LVIII A residential cell at La Tourette, ca. 1957. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LIX Sketching during a lecture at the Sorbonne, February 1960. Fondation Le Corbusier
Chapter LX In the Mediterranean on August 25, 1965. Henry Pessar
COLOR INSERT I
1. Self-portrait, watercolor, summer 1917, Paris. Fondation Le Corbusier
2. Paris, watercolor, 1917. Fondation Le Corbusier
3. LC4 Lounge Chair, covered in panther skin. Sotheby’s, London
4. Villa La Roche, mirror under ramp in gallery. Olivier Martin Gambier
5. Villa Savoye, exterior room and ramp to top level. Olivier Martin Gambier
6. Villa Savoye at Poissy. Olivier Martin Gambier
7. Villa Savoye, built-in bath. Olivier Martin Gambier
8. South America (self-portrait with Josephine Baker), pencil sketch, 1929. Fondation Le Corbusier
9. Two Naked Women Lying Down, watercolor. Fondation Le Corbusier
10. Sketch in letter to his mother, September 10, 1951. Fondation Le Corbusier
11. Unité d’Habitation, Marseille. Fondation Le Corbusier
12. Maisons Jaoul. Photo by Anriet Denis
13. Cabanon, interior. Olivier Martin Gambier
14. Le Corbusier and Yvonne’s bedroom At 24 rue Nungesser-et-Coli. Olivier Martin Gambier
COLOR INSERT II
15. Self-portrait as a crow delivering Christmas presents, in a letter to Yvonne, December 1953. Fondation Le Corbusier