Charlotte Perriand
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Perriand was a French architect
and designer
. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society. In her article L’Art de Vivre from 1981 she states “The extension of the art of dwelling is the art of living- living in harmony with man’s deepest drives and with his adopted or fabricated environment.”
In the 1930s, Perriand’s focus became more egalitarian and populist. Along with designing furniture and living spaces, she was also involved with many leftist organizations such as the Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires
, and Maison de la Culture. She also collaborated with the Jeunes in 1937 and help to found The Union des Artistes Modernes. In her designs from that period, rather than using chrome, which proved to be expensive, she began to use traditional materials such as wood and cane, which were more affordable. She also used some handcrafted techniques which she displayed at the 1935 Brussels International Exhibition. Many of her designs from this period were inspired from the vernacular furniture of Savoie where her grandparents lived-a place she visited often as a child.
In 1940 Perriand traveled to Japan as an official advisor for industrial design to the Ministry for Trade and Industry. While in Japan she advised the government on raising the standards of design in Japanese industry to develop products for the West. On her way back to Europe she was detained and forced into Vietnamese exile because of the war. Throughout her exile she studied woodwork and weaving and also gained much influence from Eastern design. The Book of Tea which she read at this time also had a major impact on her work and she referenced it throughout the rest of her career. Charlotte Perriand took part in the design of the ski resorts of Les Arcs
in Savoie
. In the 1950's she designed for various corporate service spaces. Perriand's main goal as a designer was to develop affordable, functional, and appealing furniture for the masses.
Some of her work includes:
Meribel ski resort
The League of Nations building in Geneva
the Remodeling of Air France's offices in London, Paris, and Tokyo
Charlotte Perriand continued collaborating with Jean Prouve through the rest of her career
, France
.
1920 Enrolls at the Ecole de l’Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs to study furniture design.
1926 Marries her first husband, Percy Kilner Scholefield, a year after graduation and converts their attic apartment into a ‘machine age’ interior.
1927 Was interviewed by Le Corbusier on an October afternoon. After a brief glance at her drawings she was rejected and Le Corbusier bid her farewell with the dry comment "We don't embroider cushions here." She left her card with him regardless, and later that year invited Le Corbusier to see her installation at the Bar sous le Toit filled with tubular steel furniture at the Salon d'Automne
, resulting in an invitation by Le Corbusier
to join his studio at 35, rue de Sèvres to design furniture and interiors.
1928 Designs three chairs with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret
(the LC2 Grand Confort armchair, the B301 reclining chair and the B306 chaise longue) for the studio’s architectural projects.
1929 Creates a model modern apartment in glass and tubular steel to be exhibited as Equipment d’Habitation (Living Equipment) at the Salon d’Automne.
1930 Separates from her husband and moves to Montparnasse
. Travels to Moscow
for a Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne
(CIAM
) conference and designs fixtures for the Pavilion Suisse at the Cité Universitaire in Paris
.
1932 Starts work on the Salvation Army
headquarters project in Paris.
1933 Travels to Moscow and Athens
to participate in CIAM
conferences.
1934 Designs the furniture and interior fixtures for Le Corbusier’s new apartment on rue Nungesser-et-Coli.
1937 Leaves Le Corbusier’s studio to collaborate with the artist Fernand Léger
on a pavilion for the 1937 Paris Exhibition and to work on a ski resort in Savoie
.
1939 When World War II
begins, she leaves Savoie to return to Paris and to design prefabricated buildings with Jean Prouvé
and Pierre Jeanneret.
1940 Sails for Japan
where she has been appointed as an advisor on industrial design to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
1942 Forced to leave Japan as an “undesirable alien” but is trapped by the naval blockade and spends the rest of the war in Vietnam
, where she marries her second husband, Jacques Martin, and gives birth to a daughter, Pernette.
1946 Returns to France and revives her career as an independent designer and her collaboration with Jean Prouvé.
1947 Works with Fernand Léger on the design of Hôpital Saint-Lo.
1950 Designs a prototype kitchen for Le Corbusier’s Unité d'Habitation
apartment building in Marseille
.
1951 Organises the French section of the Triennale
di Milano.
1953 Collaborates on design of the Hotel de France in Conakry
, Guinea
1957 Designs the League of Nations
building for the United Nations
in Geneva
.
1959 Works with Le Corbusier and the Brazilian architect Lucio Costa
on the interior of their Maison du Brésil at the Cité Universitaire in Paris.
1960 Collaborates with Ernő Goldfinger
on the design of the French Tourist Office on London’s Piccadilly
.
1962 Begins a long-running project to design a series of ski resorts in Savoie.
1985 Retrospective of her work at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
1998 Publication of her autobiography, Une Vie de Création, and presentation of a retrospective at the Design Museum
in London.
1999 Charlotte Perriand dies in Paris.
Perriand wrote in a memoir, "While our chair designs were directly related to the position of the human body...they were also determined by the requirements of architecture, setting, and prestige". With a chair that reflects the human body (thin frame, cushion/head) and has decorative qualities (fabrication, structural qualities) they accomplished this goal. It wasn't instantly popular due to its formal simplicity but as modernism rose, so did the chair's popularity.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society. In her article L’Art de Vivre from 1981 she states “The extension of the art of dwelling is the art of living- living in harmony with man’s deepest drives and with his adopted or fabricated environment.”
Biography
Charlotte Perriand was born in 1903 in Paris, France to a tailor and a seamstress. In 1920 she enrolled in the Ecole de L'Union Centrale de Arts Decoratifs ("School of the Central Union of Decorative Arts") to study furniture design from 1920 until 1925. After applying to work at Le Corbusier's studio in 1927 and being rejected, Perriand renovated her apartment into a room with a large bar made out of aluminum glass and chrome. She recreated this for the Salon d’Automne where Le Corbusier's partner, Pierre Jeanneret, showed him her contribution. He changed his mind and offered her a job in furniture design. There, she was in charge of their interiors work and promoting their designs through a series of exhibitions. In 1928 she designed three chairs from Corbusier's principles. Each chair had a chromium-plated tubular steel base. At Corbuiser's request a chair was made for conversation: the B301 sling back chair, another for relaxation: the LC2 Grand Comfort chair, and the last for sleeping: the B306 chaise lounge.In the 1930s, Perriand’s focus became more egalitarian and populist. Along with designing furniture and living spaces, she was also involved with many leftist organizations such as the Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires
Association des Ecrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires
The Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires was a French association of revolutionary artists and writers which first existed between 1932 and 1939...
, and Maison de la Culture. She also collaborated with the Jeunes in 1937 and help to found The Union des Artistes Modernes. In her designs from that period, rather than using chrome, which proved to be expensive, she began to use traditional materials such as wood and cane, which were more affordable. She also used some handcrafted techniques which she displayed at the 1935 Brussels International Exhibition. Many of her designs from this period were inspired from the vernacular furniture of Savoie where her grandparents lived-a place she visited often as a child.
In 1940 Perriand traveled to Japan as an official advisor for industrial design to the Ministry for Trade and Industry. While in Japan she advised the government on raising the standards of design in Japanese industry to develop products for the West. On her way back to Europe she was detained and forced into Vietnamese exile because of the war. Throughout her exile she studied woodwork and weaving and also gained much influence from Eastern design. The Book of Tea which she read at this time also had a major impact on her work and she referenced it throughout the rest of her career. Charlotte Perriand took part in the design of the ski resorts of Les Arcs
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino...
in Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
. In the 1950's she designed for various corporate service spaces. Perriand's main goal as a designer was to develop affordable, functional, and appealing furniture for the masses.
Some of her work includes:
Meribel ski resort
The League of Nations building in Geneva
the Remodeling of Air France's offices in London, Paris, and Tokyo
Charlotte Perriand continued collaborating with Jean Prouve through the rest of her career
Timeline
1903 Born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
1920 Enrolls at the Ecole de l’Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs to study furniture design.
1926 Marries her first husband, Percy Kilner Scholefield, a year after graduation and converts their attic apartment into a ‘machine age’ interior.
1927 Was interviewed by Le Corbusier on an October afternoon. After a brief glance at her drawings she was rejected and Le Corbusier bid her farewell with the dry comment "We don't embroider cushions here." She left her card with him regardless, and later that year invited Le Corbusier to see her installation at the Bar sous le Toit filled with tubular steel furniture at the Salon d'Automne
Salon d'Automne
In 1903, the first Salon d'Automne was organized by Georges Rouault, André Derain, Henri Matisse, Angele Delasalle and Albert Marquet as a reaction to the conservative policies of the official Paris Salon...
, resulting in an invitation by Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
to join his studio at 35, rue de Sèvres to design furniture and interiors.
1928 Designs three chairs with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret
Pierre Jeanneret
Pierre Jeanneret was a Swiss architect who collaborated with his more famous brother Charles Edouard Jeanneret for about twenty years....
(the LC2 Grand Confort armchair, the B301 reclining chair and the B306 chaise longue) for the studio’s architectural projects.
1929 Creates a model modern apartment in glass and tubular steel to be exhibited as Equipment d’Habitation (Living Equipment) at the Salon d’Automne.
1930 Separates from her husband and moves to Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
. Travels to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for a Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne
Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne
The Congrès internationaux d'architecture moderne – CIAM was an organization founded in 1928 and disbanded in 1959, responsible for a series of events and congresses arranged around the world by the most prominent architects of the time, with the objective of spreading the principles of the Modern...
(CIAM
CIAM
CIAM may refer to:* Commission Internationale Aeromodelling, a section of Fédération Aéronautique Internationale* Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne, the International Congress of Modern Architecture...
) conference and designs fixtures for the Pavilion Suisse at the Cité Universitaire in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
1932 Starts work on the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
headquarters project in Paris.
1933 Travels to Moscow and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
to participate in CIAM
CIAM
CIAM may refer to:* Commission Internationale Aeromodelling, a section of Fédération Aéronautique Internationale* Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne, the International Congress of Modern Architecture...
conferences.
1934 Designs the furniture and interior fixtures for Le Corbusier’s new apartment on rue Nungesser-et-Coli.
1937 Leaves Le Corbusier’s studio to collaborate with the artist Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
on a pavilion for the 1937 Paris Exhibition and to work on a ski resort in Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
.
1939 When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
begins, she leaves Savoie to return to Paris and to design prefabricated buildings with Jean Prouvé
Jean Prouvé
-Images:**- External links :***...
and Pierre Jeanneret.
1940 Sails for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where she has been appointed as an advisor on industrial design to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
1942 Forced to leave Japan as an “undesirable alien” but is trapped by the naval blockade and spends the rest of the war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, where she marries her second husband, Jacques Martin, and gives birth to a daughter, Pernette.
1946 Returns to France and revives her career as an independent designer and her collaboration with Jean Prouvé.
1947 Works with Fernand Léger on the design of Hôpital Saint-Lo.
1950 Designs a prototype kitchen for Le Corbusier’s Unité d'Habitation
Unité d'Habitation
The Unité d'Habitation is the name of a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso...
apartment building in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
.
1951 Organises the French section of the Triennale
Triennale
La Triennale di Milano is a design museum and events venue in Milan, Italy, located inside the Palace of Art building, part of Parco Sempione, the park grounds adjacent to Castello Sforzesco. It hosts exhibitions and events which highlight contemporary Italian design, urban planning, architecture,...
di Milano.
1953 Collaborates on design of the Hotel de France in Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
1957 Designs the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
building for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
1959 Works with Le Corbusier and the Brazilian architect Lucio Costa
Lúcio Costa
Lucio Costa was a Brazilian architect and urban planner.-Career:Costa was born in Toulon, France.Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, England and in Montreux until 1916, he graduated as an architect in 1924 from the School of Fine Art in Rio de Janeiro...
on the interior of their Maison du Brésil at the Cité Universitaire in Paris.
1960 Collaborates with Ernő Goldfinger
Erno Goldfinger
Ernő Goldfinger was a Hungarian-born Jewish architect and designer of furniture, and a key member of the architectural Modern Movement after he had moved to the United Kingdom.-Biography:Goldfinger was born in Budapest...
on the design of the French Tourist Office on London’s Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
.
1962 Begins a long-running project to design a series of ski resorts in Savoie.
1985 Retrospective of her work at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
1998 Publication of her autobiography, Une Vie de Création, and presentation of a retrospective at the Design Museum
Design Museum
Design Museum is a museum by the River Thames near Tower Bridge in central London, England. The museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. It was founded in 1989 and claims to be the first museum of modern design...
in London.
1999 Charlotte Perriand dies in Paris.
The Chaise Lounge
Perriand and Le Corbusier were familiar with Thonet's bentwood chairs and used them often not only for inspiration but also in their designs. Their chaise lounge, for this reason, bears some similarity to Thonet's bentwood rocker although it doesn't rock. The chair has double tubing at the sides and a lacquered sheet metal base. The legs unintentionally resemble horse hooves. Perriand took this and ran with it, finding pony skin from Parisian furriers to cover the chaise.Perriand wrote in a memoir, "While our chair designs were directly related to the position of the human body...they were also determined by the requirements of architecture, setting, and prestige". With a chair that reflects the human body (thin frame, cushion/head) and has decorative qualities (fabrication, structural qualities) they accomplished this goal. It wasn't instantly popular due to its formal simplicity but as modernism rose, so did the chair's popularity.
External links
- Information from the Design MuseumDesign MuseumDesign Museum is a museum by the River Thames near Tower Bridge in central London, England. The museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. It was founded in 1989 and claims to be the first museum of modern design...
, London - Charlotte Perriand exhibition at the Centre Georges PompidouCentre Georges PompidouCentre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
, Paris, 7 December 2005 – 27 March 2006 - Charlotte Perriand biography
- Collective affinity — architect Charlotte Perriand — Interview by Hendel Teicher, ArtForum, Summer 1999
- Works by Charlotte Perriand and Biographical info
- http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/retrospect/corb-your-enthusiasm-the-woman-behind-le-corbusiers-furniture-designs-charlotte-perriand-retrospect-098469