Book Description:
The ideas and writings of famed architect Le Corbusier on modern furnishings, houses, and cities are still, 35 years after his death, persuasive and extremely influential. He considered the objects of daily life (a built in cabinet, a chair, a bottle) as 'tools,' elements whose form and function could be rationally resolved. His own furniture, designed in collaboration with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, was based on strict conceptions of utility and typology that nevertheless resulted in elegant and luxurious pieces. Le Corbusier: Inside the Machine for Living, a focused exploration of the furniture and interiors of Le Corbusier, sheds new light on a relatively little studied aspect of the great Swiss French architect s career. Le Corbusier's rational approach was modulated by human experience and had a poetic and complex relationship to the built and furnished environment. George H. Marcus's authoritative text analyzes this relationship as it informed Le Corbusier's domestic interiors and furnishings, from the revolutionary Esprit Nouveau pavilion of 1925 and the celebrated villas La Roche and Savoye to the controversial unit d'habitation in Marseilles. Marcus also details the seminal pieces of furniture created by Le Corbusier's studio (including the famed grand confort armchair and chaise lounge) documenting the conditions surrounding their conceptualization and design. Extensively illustrated with new color photography, archival photography, and the architect's sketches and drawings, Le Corbusier: Inside the Machine for Living offers fresh insight into the achievement of this 20th century master.
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