For the first time since its opening in 2014, the Louis Vuitton Foundation is dedicating the entire Frank Gehry building to a unique designer, Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999). From the 20s to the 21st century, Charlotte Perriand's work and life describe an extraordinary, free and independent trajectory. Although she is known for her contributions to the field of design, Charlotte Perriand has not hesitated to cross the lines between artistic and intellectual disciplines.
A free woman, a sportswoman, a great traveller, attentive to nature and the environment, open to the dialogue of cultures, lived his social, artistic and political commitments every day. Using a multitude of materials – from chromed pipes to straw, raw wood, bamboo, prefabricated elements and polyester… – he has combined design, architecture, urban planning, craftsmanship and visual arts without neglecting the human and economic aspects linked to his creations.
On this occasion, the Louis Vuitton Foundation presents the artist in all the gallery spaces, the successes and connections he forged with the greatest artists of his time. The “art of living” that she put into words and space cannot be perceived without apprehension of the works that accompanied his eyes of hers. Chronological and on four levels, the proposed itinerary mixes his works with those of his relatives, going so far as to immerse the viewer in historical reconstructions: the apartment-studio of the Saint-Sulpice place (1927), the Autumn Salon ( 1929), The Young Man's House (1935), The House on the Water (1934), The Tonneau Hut (1938) and The Tea House for UNESCO (1993).
From the beginning, between 1927 and 1929, Charlotte Perriand reinvented the house, in particular collaborating with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. The 30s were the theater of his political, social and artistic commitment, often alongside Fernand Léger. It is also with them that, aware of the limits of progress and technology, he imagines a "raw art" inspired by nature.
Crucially, his stay in Japan from 1940 to 1941 strengthened his understanding of the links between creation and tradition and initiated one of the central contributions of his work, the dialogue of cultures. Back in France, he actively participates in the reconstruction efforts. He then co-founded the "Useful Forms" movement, which would play a vital role in the flowering of design during the glorious XNUMXs.
In Tokyo in 1955, he proposed a "Synthesis of the arts" and presented alongside his works those of Le Corbusier and Fernand Léger. In Paris, the Galerie Steph Simon exhibits his furniture and his "art of living". His stay in Rio in the early 60s allows him to further enrich his imagination.
Charlotte Perriand's works interact with those of Robert Delauney, Simon Hantai, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Henri Laurens and Fernand Léger in places she designed to capture and exhibit art.
His love for the mountains is also reflected in many of his creations, from the Tonneau refuge to Les Arcs. Finally, it is the intimate relationship he forged with Japan that concludes the journey: the tea house designed in 1993 for UNESCO has been rebuilt in the last exhibition gallery, echoing the architecture of Frank Gehry.
Charlotte Perriand was born on October 24, 1903 in Paris. She studied at the Central Union School of Decorative Arts from 1920 to 1925. Two years later, she worked as an interior designer, based in her studio on the Place Saint-Sulpice. Her search for and interest in furniture design led to the collaboration of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in the 20s and 30s. During this period she worked on major projects including the Villa Church, the Villa Savoye, the City of Refuge for the French Salvation Army and the Swiss Pavilion at the Cité Universitaire.
Cover image: Charlotte Perriand. Salle de réception, 1955. © Adagp, Paris, 2019 © AChP
