Le Corbusier - A Life of Creativity

8/10/2019 Le Corbusier - A Life of Creativity

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VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | [email protected] p.1

Le Corbusier:

Art and Architecture - A Life of Creativity

A Celebration on the 120th Anniversary of Le Corbusier's BirthFeaturing his Architecture and his Art, and Including Full-Scale,

Walk-In Reproductions of Three Architectural Spaces

Mori Art Museum, Tokyo26 May (Saturday) 24 September (Monday), 2007

Le Corbusier is without doubt the best-known non-Japanese architect in Japan. Notonly did this founding father of modernism leave behind numerous architectural icons, but hewas also an artist, working in private to create a vast array of personal creative vistas inpaintings, drawings and sculptures. There was a constant interplay between his architectureand his art, and similarities can be seen in their development over his career. By covering allof the various facets of this unique individuals creative output, "Le Corbusier: Art and

Architecture A Life of Creativity" seeks to examine Le Corbusier the man, providing an all-encompassing overview of his achievements.

Le Corbusier Cabanon 1952/2006 reproduction (CASSINA S.p.A., Italy)Courtesy: CASSINA S.p.A., CASSINA IXC. LTD


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A Life of CreativityLe Corbusier was born in 1887 in Switzerland, in time to witness first hand the frenzy

of scientific discovery and technological invention that marked the turn of the century.

However, as the age of mass production dawned, Le Corbusier, like many others of his time,saw in it the seeds of alienation of the individual and the potential for increasingly inhumaneurban development. Perhaps his greatest achievement was to integrate the industrialdevelopments of his time into a more human-friendly framework, one that took intoconsideration human needs and desires. In the process he created an unmistakably modern,yet at the same time more humane architectural aesthetic, one that you could say fused thestark functionality of his architects eye with the free-flowing, organic curves of his paintings.

Le Corbusier Nature morte rouge au violon1920100 x 81 cmoil on canvas(C) FLC

The exhibition begins with paintings and then continues with models, drawings andphotographs depicting his architecture and urban planning. This composition mirrors LeCorbusier's life, which was devoted to architecture and art in equal measure. It islittle known that Le Corbusier devoted his mornings to painting; architecture only started inthe afternoons when he went to his office. As he explained, "part of every day of my life hasbeen devoted to drawing. I have never stopped drawing and painting, looking wherever I

could for the secrets of form. You don't have to look any further than this for the key to mywork and research..."


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Full-scale, Walk-in Reproductions Experience his Atelier and

Significant Architectural Spaces Firsthand

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a number of full-scale reproductions of

architectural spaces. The show starts with a walk-in model of his atelier in Paris completewith furniture and other personal trappings. There is also a full-size reproduction of a two-story apartment from his important "Unit" project in Marseilles, and another of "lePetite Cabanon," a small wooden hut he built at Cap Martin in the south of France,his final home. Each is large enough for visitors to walk inside, providing a rare chance toexperience Le Corbusiers creations firsthand and view his furniture, paintings andsculptures within that context. The exhibition is further enhanced by the use of dozens of photographs and videos, some including three-dimensional computer graphic renderings.

The majority of exhibits come from the Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris, and theCentre Pompidou, however many others will come from lenders elsewhere and in Japan.Many of the art works come from the Mori Art Collection, which includes a substantialnumber of drawings, paintings and tapestries assembled by Mori Art Museum founder MoriMinoru. The exhibition also benefits from the advice of leading Japanese architects such asMaki Fumihiko and Ando Tadao. A color, bilingual catalog (Japanese and English)will be produced to coincide with the exhibition, and a supporting program of tours, talks,lectures and symposia will also be held.

The 120th anniversary of Le Corbusiers birth is sure to keep him in the newsworldwide. This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to explore the full gamut of his creativeendeavor.

Le Corbusier Model for Unitd'habitation, Marseille,FranceFondation Le Corbusier,Paris(C) FLC


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Exhibition SectionsSection 1: Live the ArtPredominantly his earlier paintings, together with a full-size recreationof the studio where he created them.

Section 2: A Machine for Living Architecture with dimensional standards derived from human bodyproportions, and his Five Points for a New Architecture.Section 3: The Dream of a CommunitySome of Le Corbusier's unbuilt projects, including his Palais desSoviets and the Mundaneum.Section 4: Experiments in ArtHis later paintings and sculptures, full of color and brimming withcurves and free-flowing brushwork.Section 5: Living in HarmonyThe biggest attraction of the show, a full-size reproduction of a two-story apartment from his "Unit d'Habitation" in Marseilles.Section 6: The Radiant CityLe Corbusier's ideas on urban planning: creating modern cities on ahuman scale.Section 7: The Open Hand

Chandigarh in IndiaLe Corbusier's only fully realized plan for a city,exhibited in drawings, videos and models.Section 8: The Miracle of the SpaceLight-filled religious architecture, including the chapel at Ronchampand his last project, the Chapel at Firminy.Section 9: Into the Diverse WorldLe Corbusier's deep involvement with Japan, and other works aroundthe world.

Le Corbusier La Femme et le Moineau 1957

220 x 223cm, tapestry(C) FLC

Le Corbusier Totem

1950(C) FLC

Section 10: Return to the Sea A reproduction of "le Petite Cabanon," a small wooden hut he built at Cap Martin in the south of France, looking out over his beloved Mediterranean. (First showing in Japan.)


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Public Programs

Symposium: Le Corbusier Today: 21st Century Significance and the Call for World

Heritage Listing

*Japanese-English and Japanese sign language simultaneous interpretationDate: May 26 (Sat) 18:30-21:00

Section 1: The International Call for World Heritage ListingSpeakers: M.J.P. Duport (Director, Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris), Aoyagi Masaki (Director,The National Museum of Western Art), Kiran Joshi (Professor, Chandigarh College of

Architecture), Yamana Yoshiyuki (Associate Professor, Tokyo University of Science), andothers

Section 2: Le Corbusier in the 21st CenturySpeakers: Ito Toyo (Architect), Aoki Jun (Architect), Chiba Manabu (Architect) and NanjoFumio (Director, Mori Art Museum)

Venue: Roppongi Academyhills 49 Tower HallCapacity: 500

Admission: Adult 1,500 yen, Students & MAMC member 1,000 yen

*Details and bookings available on website [www.mori.art.museum], Email[[email protected]], and Fax [03-6406-9351].Enquiries: Public Programs, Tel 03-6406-6101

* Other Programs featuring well-known architects Maki Fumihiko, Isozaki Arata, KurokawaKisho, Ando Tadao and Yatsuka Hajime are also being planned. Please enquire for details.


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General InformationOrganizers: Mori Art Museum; Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris; NHK; The Yomiuri

ShimbunExhibition planned by: Mori Art Museum

Corporate Sponsors: TAISEI CORPORATION GALERIE TAISEI, OBAYASHI CORPORATION,KAJIMA CORPORATION, SHIMIZU CORPORATION,TAKENAKA CORPORATION, Sony Corporation,Lehman Brothers Japan Inc, LOEWE JAPAN, SECOM CO., LTD.,NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD, NIHON SEKKEI, INC., SAINT-GOBAIN,Kenchiku Setsubi Sekkei Kenkyusho,IRIE MIYAKE ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS,KINDEN CORPORATION, SANKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.

Supported by: Japan Airlines, Cassina S.p.A., Cassina IXC. Ltd.,CAD CENTER CORPORATION, IMAGICA TV Corp., hhstyle.com,Okunomatsu Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., KIRIN BREWERY COMPANY,LIMITED, MANO GLASS CO., LTD., RENTRAK JAPAN CO., LTD.,

LONGRIDE, INC. Advisers: Maki Fumihiko (Architect), Isozaki Arata, (Architect), Kurokawa Kisho

(Architect), Ando Tadao (Architect), Michel Richard (Director,Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris) and others

Planning committee: Nanjo Fumio (Director, Mori Art Museum), Yamana Yoshiyuki(Associate Professor, Tokyo University of Science), Sendai Shoichiro(Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, HiroshimaUniversity), Hayashi Misa (Curator, Gallerie Taisei) and others

Additional support by: Echelle-1, Gallerie Taisei,CITE DE L'ARCHITECTURE ET DU PATRIMOINE,FERNANDO MARZ, ARQUITECTE, S.L.U.

Mori Art Museum: Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6150 Japan, Tel: 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial) www.mori.art.museum

Hours: 10:00 - 22:00 (Tues: 10:00 - 17:00)*Admission until 30 minutes before closing

Admission: Adult: 1,500University/Highschool students: 1,000Children (4 years to Junior Highschool students): 500*Ticket also valid for Tokyo City View observation deck (Tokyo CityView opening hours differ to Mori Art Museum)

Advance ticket sales: Adult: 1,200; Student: 900; Child: 500 conditions as above. Available from 1 April through Ticket Pia (P-code: 687-308).

Press Photographs: Images are available on our website and on request.Press Contact Details: Mr. Corkill, Ms. Takahashi, Ms. Tamura

Tel: +81-3-6406-6111 Fax: +81-3-6406-9351E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.mori.art.museum

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Le Corbusier - A Life of Creativity