Opening of Maison La Roche,photo Peter Willi, October 1970 July … · 2018-09-21 · 31st July 1968 – 31st July 2008 A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection 15th April–18th

31st July 1968 – 31st July 2008

A Foundation anda Modern Art Collection15th April – 18th June 2008

Opening of Maison La Roche, photo Peter Willi, October 1970

hile still only in his infancy as an architect and budding

artist, Charles-Edouard Jeanneretwas already at an early age showinga will to achieve ambitious aims anda desire to leave behind him signifi-cant traces of his endeavour thatwould outlast his earthly existence.“Let life be something with a goaland not merely an arrow speedingtoward death” he wrote to hisparents in 1910 (1).

Having become Le Corbusier,without direct heirs and driven bythe fear that his carefully conservedarchives and works be scatteredafter his death, he spent the last fifteen years of his life conceivingand implementing, down to its smallest details, the project of aFoundation that would bear his name.

Already in 1949, he had written, in a letter addressed to his friendJean-Jacques Duval, for whom hebuilt the Duval factory in Saint-Dié:

One can conk out at any time of life. I’ve been talking about it to my brother who is here on a visit.

With my wife’s agreement, I havearranged to leave what I own to thepoor.Now, what I own can at best beused as something to light the firewith. Here at 24 rue Nungesser etColi (and even at 35 Sèvres in a cellar), I have substantial archivesof all kinds: drawings, writings,notes, travel diaries, albums, etc. I don’t want some hooligan happilypillaging it all, and destroying serieswhose value depends on their beingcomplete.In other words, we’ll have to take alook at my archives so as to makethe most of them (to sell them, orgive them to people, institutions or museums).Conclusion: the aim of this letter is to set you thinking and to requestyou – when the time comes –to takeimmediate possession, or rather,immediate control of my archives, so as to protect them from beingwrongfully scattered.And the present letter, with mysignature, is to be used as documentary proof, for whateverpurpose it may serve.With my friendship and my gratitude (2).

W

Maison La Roche - Paris

“

”

Fortieth Anniversary of the setting up of the Fondation Le Corbusier

I here declare, for every eventuality,that I leave everything that I possessto an administrative entity, the“Fondation Le Corbusier”, or anyother meaningful form, which shallbecome a spiritual entity, that is, a continuation of the endeavour pursued throughout a lifetime.

Le CorbusierNote dated 13 January 1960

(1) Letter of 2 October 1910.

(2) 30 April 1949, quoted in Jean-JacquesDuval, Le Corbusier, l’écorce et la fleur,Paris, Éditions du Linteau, 2006.

Early days

Heavily involved in the bigbuilding commissions that got underway at the beginning of the fifties, LeCorbusier, although still concernedwith his project for a Foundation, nolonger had much time to devote to it.It was only in 1957, shortly before his70th birthday, that he started thinkingabout it again in more precise terms.In a series of letters exchanged withhis friend the banker Jean-Pierre deMontmollin, he requested the latter’sadvice on determining the legal status of the future Foundation. Heinformed him of his intentions in aletter dated 1 October 1957.

To pursue the question of theFondation Le Corbusier, I am sendingyou here the decisions taken with mybrother Albert on his visit lastSunday, 29 September.

1°/ We have agreed that the littlemaison du Lac, and the land belongingto it, which, as our father’s heirs, areour jointly held property (under Swisslaw), could be made over directly tothe Foundation, envisaged as havingits legal business address in Switzer-land, to facilitate the succession orthe inheritance.

2°/ This little house would also beused as the “Fondation AlbertJeanneret”, in which the consider-able quantity of Albert Jeanneret’smanuscripts would be conservedand which would be authorised topublish his musical works at any timein the future.

3°/ We need to find the relevant strat-agem for divesting our two indivi-duals, Albert Jeanneret and LeCorbusier, of the instant ownershipof the house (in case of one or theother’s decease), since we have novalid inheritors.

4°/ And what’s more, something thatis always to be feared for old gentle-men of our age is falling into theclutches of femmes fatales withexaggerated ideas about people’sfortunes and capable, with thetalents Nature has given them, oftwisting round their little fingers oneor other of the septuagenarians inquestion. In other words, use this

provisional deed of donation as asharp curb to take the wind out ofany stranger’s sails. That’s what theycall the prudence and wisdom ofnations!

I mean this very seriously and I thinkit essential that these two stepsshould be taken right away - thedonation of the maison du Lac andthat of the house in the Square duDocteur Blanche.

In making his project a reality, LeCorbusier very rapidly sought thehelp of Gabriel Chéreau, a lawyerfrom Nantes and the legal consultantwho had defended him in theMarseilles trial and obtained for himthe commission for the Unité d’habi-tation in Rezé. His job was to find anideal legal set-up for the Foundationand to draw up its statutes. LeCorbusier also called upon the skillsof other outside experts, AlphonseDucret, an engineer and thePresident of the FédérationInternationale du Bâtiment, as wellas his lawyer, Maître Maguet.

The archives left by Le Corbusierattest to the increasing importancethis project was taking in his life: letters to his friends, to state officials,to foreign dignitaries; notes in hiscarnets, various traces on sheets ofpaper or cards (invitations, menus orprogrammes), texts typed in theAtelier, handwritten letters sent fromRoquebrune-Cap-Martin, meetings inthe apartment in rue Nungesser etColi…

Villa le Lac, Corseaux, photo Olivier-Martin Gambier, 2006

2 • 31st July 1968 - 31st July 2008 A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection

“…we’ll have to take a look at my archives so as to make the most of them […]”.

Groundwork

Le Corbusier had begun bydefining his conception of theFoundation’s missions at a very earlystage, but he still had to draw up atimetable of the legal steps neededfor it to become a reality at theappointed time. There were now fourmajor points that were to focus all hisattention and that of his friends.

• Their most immediate task was todefine a legal status, which wouldensure both the Foundation’s cominginto being and its permanence, andprovide it with the necessary resourcesfor accomplishing its missions. Themain subject of his preliminary studywas the tax question, but it alsoconfirmed the advantage to be gainedfrom conceiving of the Foundation asa testamentary body after the deathof its founder. To begin with, however,this solution meant provisionally forming an association with the job ofensuring a transition/transfer in legaland material conditions that weresound.

• It was equally important to find premises to house the different acti-vities of the Foundation. The projectrequired office accommodation for asecretariat, exhibition and meetingspaces as well as a building forstocking archives and a large collec-tion of works of art. The Foundationwould have at its disposal the apart-ment at 24 rue Nungesser et Coli andthe Maison du Lac at Corseaux, whichwere obviously part of its heritage,

but not adapted to the needs of thefuture institution. Le Corbusier then began negotiationson two different fronts. On one hand,he succeeded in persuading hisfriend Raoul La Roche, for whom hehad built the house in Square duDocteur Blanche and who had nodirect heirs, to donate the house tothe Foundation. On the other, in histalks with André Malraux on the restoration and future attribution ofVilla Savoye, which had just beensaved from demolition, he proposedto turn it into an international centrehousing the Fondation Le Corbusier.

Between 1957, the year of theconversation with La Roche aboutdonating the house and 1964, when thetransactions were finally concluded,Le Corbusier studied several possibi-

lities for locating the Foundation’sheadquarters. The different schemesall included the Musée National d’ArtModerne, where a large part of hiscollection of paintings was deposi-ted. Thus, in one of these schemes,he planned to present a selection ofworks in Villa Savoye (“MuséeCorbu”), with the Foundation’s secre-tariat being housed in Maison LaRoche. Paintings, sculptures and drawings would have been stored bythe Musée d’Art Moderne. The rolethat this institution might play in theproject was the subject of numerousdiscussions with its two curators,who had been closely following Le Corbusier’s work, Bernard Dorivalet Maurice Besset.

On 3 July 1959, after an exchange ofletters lasting several months, LeCorbusier sent a handwritten letter toLa Roche to thank him for formallyconfirming the donation of his housein Square du Docteur Blanche to theFondation Le Corbusier.

On this occasion you and I areaccomplishing a material and moralact expressing our mutual respectand our faith in art. Your life and minealike have been inspired by it.After my time, the Fondation LeCorbusier will prolong the research I have devoted myself to; giving thisfoundation a roof will consecrate thefriendship that brought us together in a far-away and … heroic time.

31st July 1968 - 31st July 2008 A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection • 3

On the roof of the Nantes-Rezé Unité d’Habitation, Gabriel Chéreau, José-Luis Sert, André Wogenscky, Le Corbusier,photo Lucien Hervé

Portrait of Raoul La Roche,photo private collection

In 1962 he was concerned by the fateof Maison Jeanneret, also located inSquare du Docteur Blanche, andwhose links with Maison La Roche hewished to preserve. The house, formerly occupied by his brotherAlbert, was no longer part of thefamily heritage and was about to beinvolved in transactions in which LeCorbusier had no say. In the end,Maison Jeanneret, which todayhouses the Foundation’s offices andits resource centre, was acquired in 1970 only, through the sale of a painting by Picasso belonging to theFoundation’s collection.

• Le Corbusier then had to give thefuture Foundation the means toachieve one of its main tasks, that ofensuring the handing on of his artisticand intellectual œuvre.

For this purpose he desired to drawup before his death the list of mem-bers of the future Governing Board ofthe Foundation. The first list of namesappeared in 1961. It was constantly tobe modified, depending on hischanges of mood, advice from othersand, with time, people just naturallydying off. Names were scribbleddown in notebooks, lists exchangedin letters.

In 1962 several prestigious foreigncandidates were added to the namesof friends and close associates:Boesiger, Gropius, Costa, Sert, Rogers,Candilis, Nervi… Le Corbusier wasconcerned to widen the circle of theFoundation’s loyal supporters and to obtain through an internationalnetwork the support and the re-sources needed to run it.

When the Association for the Fonda-tion le Corbusier was formed in 1962,new lists of names appeared, thistime for the management committee.From the outset it was decided thatRaoul La Roche would be its Hono-rary President.

• Lastly, the Foundation was toencourage the recognition and thedissemination of Le Corbusier’s plas-tic creations. It was thus necessaryto draw up an inventory of pieces dueto become part of the Foundation’scollections and to contribute toimproving knowledge of this aspectof Le Corbusier’s work, which heconsidered to be unfairly neglectedby the public. In a note dated 6 November 1957, LeCorbusier therefore drew up a preli-minary inventory of pictures of histhat were either in circulation, depo-sited in French or foreign galleries ormuseums, or stored in his studio. Heplanned to make “a list of 20 availablepictures, representative of [his] pic-torial work, to be exhibited at theParis headquarters of the Foundation”.And in the margin he added: “in maison La Roche, 20 of them could behung.”This list was to be added to over theyears through more or less detailedinventories of his personal collection,emphasizing both its variety and itsunity (papiers collés, copper-plateengravings, tapestries, lithographs,enamels, etc.). He was troubledwhen paintings of his that had beendeposited at the Musée Nationald’Art Moderne were returned to theFoundation in 1963, together with fifteen paintings by André Bauchant.He was also anxious to find fireproofhousing for the plans of the Atelier at35 rue de Sèvres.


Picasso and Le Corbusier, visit to the Marseilles Unité d’Habitation building site, August 1949, photo FLC

Le Corbusier, “César (Limousin bull, champion in 1900)”, graphite, pastel on paper,signed and dated L-C Chandigarh 16th November 55, FLC 3634


The only possible basis for the“Fondation Le Corbusier” is a statutedefining the Foundation’s pro-gramme, its material existence, itsintentions, its resources, etc... A Foundation is perhaps not the idealform (? !). Here are my intentions :

1°/It is more than a year nowsince I took the decision todraw up the statutes of thisFoundation and to definemy personal attitude to theassets of all kinds that thestatutes may bring to thefuture Foundation.Meanwhile, I have seen M.La Roche. An art enthusiastof the very highest order,he put together between1922 et 1925, with my help,the La Roche Cubist collec-tion, which has sincebecome so famous that itsowner has already madearrangements that arecharacteristic of him. Hehas donated a third of it tothe Musée du Louvre, an-other third to the museumin Basel, the remainingthird being for the momentin his house at Square duDocteur Blanche.On an amicable, generousand perfectly natural foot-ing, it was thus agreed that,as a bachelor with nodirect heirs, he woulddonate his house to the“Fondation Le Corbusier”,so that this house shouldbecome part of the Foun-dation’s assets and beused as its Paris office. (Letme make it clear here thatno legal tie with the remai-ning third of his collectionis to be assumed).

(It should be pointed out here thatMaison La Roche in the Square duDocteur Blanche was built between1923 and 1925, by Le Corbusier andPierre Jeanneret. A direct conse-quence of this was the building ofMaison Savoye in Poissy, in 1928. The latter has since come to beconsidered as the decisive manifestoin the emergence of modern archi-tecture after the First World War. Thiswas confirmed by the Minister forCultural Affairs in 1959, when heclassified Maison Savoye at Poissyas an historical monument. This wasa spontaneous gesture on M. AndréMalraux’s part, subsequent to theexpropriation of the villa, which was

thus threatened with demolition. Inthe space of a few days, two hun-dred and fifty telegrams came pouring on to the Minister’s deskfrom all over the world to protestagainst the vandalism of possibledemolition. I myself knew nothing ofthis, being away in India at the time).[…]

The “Fondation Le Corbusier” will inno way be condemned to living fromhand to mouth. At my death it will berich in indisputable values, bothmaterial and financial:

A/ - My house on the shores of LacLéman, “Le Lac”; A1/ my home at N° 24 rue Nungesser et Coli, 7th and8th floors ; and A2/ my little propertyat Cap Martin.

B/ - Paintings of the Cubist school:Picasso, Braque, Léger, togetherwith a large number of first rateBauchants; in addition, Le Corbusier’spictorial work (deliberately kept inthe dark for thirty years), made up of

numerous large pictures and thou-sands of drawings. (Without Le Corbusier having had toattend to the question, the importantmuseums and collections alreadyown paintings by him: 1/ Two years ago, the Musée Na-tional d'Art Moderne in Paris openeda room to house paintings, the “SallePermanente Le Corbusier”, adjacentto that of Picasso, Braque, Léger,Matisse, Rouault, etc… 2/ theModern Art Museum in New York ; 3/ the Stedelijk Museum in Amster-dam ; 4/ the Tate Gallery in London (= England’s Museum of ContemporaryArt) ; 5/ the Modern Art Museum inSao Paulo in Brazil ; 6/ the Museum inBasel; 7/ the Museum in Zurich.Paintings by Le Corbusier also figure

in private collections […]. Substantialinternational exhibitions organizedby art collectives have been touringthe world continuously since 1948, incapital cities in Europe, America,Japan, etc…, linking Le Corbusier’spictorial endeavour with his archi-tectural endeavour).

C / - There remain the archives of theLe Corbusier Atelier, which havebeen kept at 35 rue de Sèvres since1922. These are made up of an enor-mous mass of plans of all kinds pro-duced over a period of forty years(published in the Girsberger series insix volumes).

An intellectual testament

On 13 January 1960 Le Corbusier sent a note on the setting up of the“Fondation Le Corbusier”, addressed to “M. Ouvré, le principal de l’étude deMe Maguet, M. Gabriel Chéreau, M. A. P. Ducret”. A copy was also sent toBernard Anthonioz, Head of the Department of Artistic Creation and a memberof André Malraux’s Cabinet. This is a true intellectual testament, condensinginto one document all his exchanges with the group of friends and experts hehad brought together for the project.

Le Corbusier, Typewritten note, 13th January 1960, page 2


D/ - In recent years, the most impor-tant publishers have brought outnumerous studies on the workaccomplished by Le Corbusier duringhis career. Mme Helena Strassova, L-C’s literary agent, is actively en-gaged in finding publishers for hisnew books, in reprinting earlier onesand in publishing translations in fiveor six different languages. More thanfifty books by L-C have come out. Theroyalties already received and thosedue to be paid represent consider-able assets for the Foundation.

E/ - There remain lastly, as materialand financial assets at the time of mydemise, what may have been left atthe bottoms of drawers or whatexists in the form of letters of credit,fees, bank accounts, etc….

F/ - To end with, there are more than20,000 photographs in the possessionof M. Lucien Hervé, photographer,representing a huge and decisivefund of documents.[…]

3°/

Aim of the Foundation :

a) To prevent these multiple assetsfrom becoming at the time of mydeath the prey of bailiffs, lawyersand would-be heirs. I no longer haveany direct heir. My family, theJeannerets, will completely die outon the male side with the deaths ofmy elder brother, Albert Jeanneret,of myself and my cousin, RudolfJeanneret, Professor at the Univer-sity of Bern and President of theSchool of Dentistry in Bern.

My life has been made up of intensecontacts with the needs of the timeand taking part in its struggles (inworldwide-localised terms) and therefore of contacts and struggleswith individuals of great potential,encountered outside the family circle. For more than twenty years Ihave filed with Me Maguet’s firm aseries of wills which have changedaccording to circumstances. I heredeclare, for every eventuality, that Ileave everything I possess to anadministrative entity, the “FondationLe Corbusier”, or any other meaning-ful form, which shall become a spir-itual entity, that is, a continuation of the endeavour pursued throughouta lifetime.

3°/ How is this Foundation to bemade a reality? By the securing of allmy assets, these to be managed by aFoundation Committee made up ofcertain friends, coming from differentbackgrounds but all having under-standing of my life’s endeavour.

4°/ What may I hope for and whatmay I wish for from the men of law,notaries and lawyers?

a) Firstly, to set out the moral, ma-terial and administrative statutes ofthe “Fondation Le Corbusier”,

b) by a suitable legal deed, straight-forwardly, simply, without complica-tions, to receive the donation madeby my friend La Roche - this has onlyan episodic role to play, i.e. to givethe protection of my name to that lit-tle house, a milestone in my workknown the world over, one that wasvisited every Tuesday and Friday up

to the time of Hitler by a substantialmass of partisans,

c) to enable, administratively spea-king, the making of certain donationsbefore my death.[…]

Le Corbusier then added a little“sticker” on which were noted thefollowing:

Social aim:

To bring together and conserve afterhis death the writings, paintings, drawings, engravings, tapestries,collections and personal objects thatbelonged to Le Corbusier.

To place at the disposal of all thosewho should wish to consult them therecords of LE CORBUSIER’S workand research.

To take all the necessary steps, inparticular that of ensuring suitablepremises, for the fulfilment of theabove-mentioned social aim, inconditions of the utmost dignity andabsolute independence.

To set up a “Le Corbusier TravellingBursary”, so as to encourage theefforts of qualified young people.

From then on, it was this text that wasto serve as a basis for drawing up theFoundation’s statutes.

Le Corbusier, Taureau XIII, oil on canvas, 1956, 130 x 162. “Whitsun 56. Birth of the Minotaur”. FLC 167


An intermediary stage: the Association for the Setting upof the Foundation

In 1962, the frequency ofcontacts with the French Ministry forCultural Affairs increased.Bernard Anthonioz devoted his ener-gies to furthering the project andcontinued to be the person LeCorbusier preferred to deal with. Michel Pomey, maître des requêtesfor the Council of State and technicaladvisor on André Malraux’s depart-mental staff, was entrusted with drawing up the statutes. He was toremain closely involved in the stepstaken to set up the Foundation.

On 3 September 1962, André Malrauxwrote to Le Corbusier confirming, aspromised, his intention of placing theVilla Savoye at the Foundation’s disposal:[…]The “Villa Savoye” is State Property,having been made over, togetherwith the surrounding land, by thetown of Poissy to the Ministry ofEducation for the purpose of buildinga lycée. By virtue of a covenantdated 23 October 1961, entered intobetween my Department and theDepartment of Education, it has beentransferred to the Ministry forCultural Affairs and is, in principle, tobe placed at the disposal of an inter-national centre for architecture. This

is planned as an institution under private law, declared as being ofpublic benefit, with the title“Fondation Le Corbusier.”The Foundation has yet to be set up;this will take a certain amount oftime, as it will first be advisable tocomplete certain formalities and, bya subscription in France and abroad, toraise funds for the initial endowment.For this purpose, an associationknown simply as “Association for theSetting up of the Fondation LeCorbusier” is shortly to be formed, onthe initiative of the former MinisterM. Claudius-Petit and with my approval.A possibility would be to place “VillaSavoye” at the disposal of thisAssociation to serve, for example, asits head office.[…]

On 30 August 1962, on holiday atRoquebrune-Cap-Martin, Le Corbusiermade out a new handwritten will stating that “the draft statutes havebeen drawn up by M. Malraux’soffice” and that “the names of thepromoters of the Fondation Le Corbu-sier are inscribed (in a draft version)on page 27 of my “sketchbook” (acarnet of sketches and notes, alwaysin my pocket) […] which will be numbered N° 67 […].”

The statutes of the Association forthe Foundation Le Corbusier werefiled on 13 March 1963, its functionbeing to “prepare the setting up of aninstitution declared as being ofpublic benefit, under the name ofFondation Le Corbusier […], with thejob of bringing together, conservingand developing for the benefit of thepublic, the various constituent partsof Le Corbusier’s work entrusted to itand, until the setting up of the foun-dation, to act in its place in fulfillingits missions”. Its head office was transferred in1964 to Maison La Roche, where itheld its first general assembly on 6 February, three months before thedefinitive transaction making overMaison la Roche to the association.

Its founding members were: MauriceBesset, general director, appointedby Le Corbusier as his executor,assisted by Bernard Anthonioz, JeanDubuisson, Alphonse Ducret etAndré Wogenscky.From this point on, working in liaisonwith Le Corbusier, the association’sjob was to take over the missions tobe assigned to the future Foundation:financial aid for researchers and forpublications, requests for loans forexhibitions, requests for informationof various kinds, etc. It would alsocontinue the tasks already underway: making inventories of collec-tions, finding suitable premises, revi-sing the statutes, drawing up lists ofCouncil Members, publishing newsbulletins, etc.

Bernard Anthonioz, Jean Prouvé, Eugène Claudius-Petit, Le Corbusier, studio at 35 rue de Sèvres, January 1964, photo Lucien Hervé

Le Corbusier, L’Atelier de la recherche patiente, p. 93, 20th July 1962. On the cover of Le Corbusier’s copy, handwritten note :« Here p. 43. Savoye dedication by Mayor of Poissy. = Historical »


I - Aim of the society

Article 1 - The institution known as“Fondation Le Corbusier” has as itsaim:

1 - to receive, acquire, restore,conserve and make known to thepublic by all appropriate means(exhibitions, publications, lectures,conferences, films, etc.) the originalworks, notes, manuscripts, docu-ments, properties and variousobjects, including those handed over,bequeathed or made over to it by Le Corbusier, by the “Associationpour la Fondation Le Corbusier” orother third parties, being of interestfor the knowledge and the propaga-tion of Le Corbusier’s thought and ofhis plastic, architectural and literarywork.

2 - to maintain and manage to thisend, in particular:a -the house known as “Maison LaRoche” located at Paris 16e, 10Square du Docteur Blanche […] ; b - the house known as “Les HeuresClaires” located at Poissy […] inorder to make of it a centre for activities relating to the work of LeCorbusier.

3 - by all appropriate means toencourage architectural research inthe sense defined by the written andbuilt work of Le Corbusier.

4 - in general, to perform all acts answering to the above-mentionedaims, provided that the principle ofdisinterestedness is respected.

Article 2 - The Fondation Le Corbusierhas its head office at Paris 16e - 10,Square du Docteur Blanche.

Its existence shall be of unlimitedduration.[…]

On 16 June 1965, Le Corbusier’s finalwill confirmed his intention of « appointing as [his] sole legatee […]the Public Benefit Institution knownas “FONDATION LE CORBUSIER”, setup or to be set up through the goodoffices of the Association registeredin Paris known as “ASSOCIATIONPOUR LA FONDATION LE CORBU-SIER”, on the basis of the draft stat-utes drawn up with [his] agreementby the said association. »

Le Corbusier died on 27 August 1965at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. AndréMalraux appointed a working party inhis Ministry to assist the Associationin rapidly setting up the Foundation.

Statutes of the Foundation

On 11 June 1965, Le Corbusier approved the draft statutes of the Foundation.It was these statutes, drawn up by Gabriel Chéreau, that (apart from one or two details, such as the Villa Savoye)were subsequently validated by the Conseil d’État. They have continued up to the present day to govern the running of the Foundation.

Le Corbusier in his studio 24 rue Nungesser et Coli. Tapestry cartoon, The lioness and the rabbit,photo Felix H. Man 1951


In accordance with the provi-sions of Le Corbusier’s will, all admin-istrative, financial and legal stepsafter his death were to be taken byMaurice Besset, Jean-Pierre deMontmollin and André Wogenscky.They also had the task of bringingtogether the archives, works of artand documents left by the architect.

The Foundation’s inaugural meetingwas held at the Salomon deRothschild Foundation on 10 July1967. The provisional assemblyapproved the statutes, accepted thesuccession and transfer of theAssociation’s properties, in particularMaison La Roche, and approved anapplication for a Declaration ofPublic Benefit. Having achieved itspurpose, the Association formed tocreate the Foundation was then dissolved. In March 1968, at the request of theConseil d’État, a few changes weremade to the statutes with a view toobtaining the Declaration of PublicBenefit. These mainly involved theappointment of trustees by the threeelectoral colleges: the Foundation,the Ministère des Affaires Culturellesand the Association Le Corbusier,later renamed Association des Amisde Le Corbusier. The Declaration wasgranted by decree on 24 July 1968. Onthe 31 July, publication in the JournalOfficiel definitively established theexistence of the Fondation LeCorbusier.

The Association having finally ac-quired legal existence and its membersbeing appointed, the GoverningBoard held its first meeting on 4 February 1970, in Maison La Roche.At that date, the Board was made upas follows:

Members appointed by the Associa-tion for the Fondation Le Corbusier• Bernard Anthonioz, Head of the

Department of Artistic Creation, Ministry of Cultural Affairs

• Gabriel Chéreau, Lawyer, President of the Foundation

• Lucio Costa, Architect• Jean Dubuisson, Architect• Fernand Gardien, Technician, Deputy

Treasurer of the Foundation• Maurice Jardot, Director of the

Galerie Louise Leiris• Louis Miquel, Architect, General

Secretary of the Foundation• Jean-Pierre de Montmollin, Banker• Jean Prouvé, Architect and Engineer

The representative of the Minister ofState in charge of Cultural Affairs

Members appointed by the Ministerof State in charge of Cultural Affairs• Jean Chatelain, Director of the Musées

de France, or his representative• Michel Denieul, Director

of Architecture• Jean de Saint-Jorre, General

Inspector of Artistic Education

Members appointed by the Associa-tion of the Friends of Le Corbusier• Eugène Claudius-Petit, former

Minister, President of the Associationof the Friends of Le Corbusier

• Michel Bataille, Architect and Writer• Charlotte Perriand, Decorator

At a meeting on 4 October 1971, theBureau was renewed. AndréWogenscky joined the GoverningBoard and was elected as Presidentin succession to Gabriel Chéreau.Michel Bataille replaced FernandGardien as Deputy Treasurer.

On 23 October 1970, the headquartersof the Foundation were officially opened in Maisons La Roche and

Jeanneret, now joined into one.Numerous important figures werepresent at the event, both French andforeign, and included architects andambassadors representing countriesin which there were buildings by LeCorbusier. Guests included membersof CIAM, former associates of theAtelier in the rue de Sèvres andowners and tenants of buildings byLe Corbusier. A tribute was paid toRaoul La Roche, the “patron, collec-tor and great friend of Le Corbusier”,in the form of an exhibition compri-sing twenty-two items from his collection, with works by GeorgesBraque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger,Pablo Picasso, Amédée Ozenfant andLe Corbusier.

The Foundation after Le Corbusier

André Wogenscky and Le Corbusier at Orly, 1958

Brochure published for the official opening of the Foundation’s premises,23rd October 1970


Missions, initiatives, programmes

Since the above date, theFoundation, in accordance with itsstatutes and its missions, has devoted all of its resources to theconservation, knowledge and dis-semination of Le Corbusier’s work, inparticular through the following initiatives:

Opening to the publicMaison La Roche and Le Corbusier’sapartment – 24 rue Nungesser et Coli– are open to visitors all year round.The Petite Maison at Corseaux (Switz-erland) is likewise open to visitors. Maison Jeanneret is daily open tostudents and researchers.The Foundation publishes conjointlywith the publisher Birkhäuser aseries of guides to the buildings:L’Unité d'habitation de Marseille andRezé-les-Nantes, Berlin, Briey en Forêt,Firminy, Les Maisons La Roche etJeanneret, Les Quartiers modernesFrugès à Pessac, La Villa Savoye, LeCouvent de la Tourette, La Chapellede Ronchamp and l'Immeuble 24Nungesser et Coli.

The FondationLe Corbusier

today

Le Corbusier’s apartment, 24 rue Nungesser et Coli, photo Olivier Martin-Gambier, 2005

Le Corbusier, Millowners’ Association Building (ATMA), Ahmedabad, India, photo FLC 2008


Le Corbusier’s architectural workcovers four continents and elevencountries. It is the Foundation’s dutyto ensure respect for moral rightsover the work; it must contribute to itspreservation. This obligation involvesexperts being sent regularly to adviseowners, allocatees or occupants ofbuildings executed by Le Corbusier.In the same way, all restoration anddevelopment projects, including thosefor executing architectural projectsby Le Corbusier are submitted to acommittee of experts. Part of its role,in expressing its views, is to contrib-ute to respect for Le Corbusier’s

original work. At the same time, onthe basis of the committee’s recom-mendations, the Foundation can eitherdecide to authorize applications or toexpress reservations.The Foundation ensures the conser-vation of buildings bequeathed to it; it carries out rehabilitation workindispensable to conservation andrespect for the buildings’ authenticity.

In addition to conserving and dissem-inating the architectural work, twofurther initiatives are programmed.Firstly, the Foundation has under-taken the preparation and publication

of the architectural plans of all of Le Corbusier’s built work. Secondly, ithas embarked on the systematic pho-tographic coverage of his buildingsthroughout the world. The aim is todispose of an exhaustive inventory ofthese works at the start of the 21st

century.

In July 2008 substantial renovationwork will begin in Maison La Roche;the interiors are to undergo full resto-ration and be made to comply withvisitor safety standards.

Le Corbusier, Chapelle Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, study of stained glass windows, elevation, charcoal and coloured chalk on paper, dated 15.05.1951, FLC 30937

Maison La Roche, hall and dining room, photo Olivier-Martin Gambier, 2005

Conservation of the architectural work


World Heritage Inscription

For similar reasons, the Foundationjoined with the Ministry for Cultureand Communication in applying forinscription of Le Corbusier’s architec-tural and urban work on the UNESCOWorld Heritage List. Six countrieshave joined forces in this under-taking: Germany, Argentina, Belgium,Japan, Switzerland and France.

The file was submitted by France tothe Unesco World Heritage Centre inJanuary 2008. Twenty-two majorworks by Le Corbusier are involved.These include: in France, Maisons LaRoche and Jeanneret, Villa Savoye,Cité Frugès in Pessac, the ChapelleNotre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp,

the Firminy site, the Immeuble locatifat Porte Molitor; in Germany, theWeissenhof houses in Stuttgart; inBelgium, Maison Guiette in Antwerp;in Switzerland, Maison Jeanneret-Perret at La Chaux-de-Fonds andImmeuble Clarté in Geneva and, inArgentina, the Dr. Currutchet Housein La Plata.

The World Heritage Committee’sdecision is due to be made in July2009.

The twenty-two works proposed for the World Heritage, photos FLC


ExhibitionsThe Foundation organizes exhibitionsin Maison La Roche. These contrib-ute to knowledge of the man and hiswork. Exhibitions of recent yearsinclude “Estampes à punaiser sur lesmurs”, “Hommage à André Wogen-scky”, “Le Corbusier à Rio. Dessinsdes conférences de 1936”, photo-graphs by René Burri and LucienHervé, “La peinture murale 35 rue deSèvres”.

Loans of works for exhibitionsMuch of the Foundation’s activityinvolves responding to requests fromthe organizers of exhibitions on LeCorbusier or on artistic trends of histime, through loans of works, objectsand documents belonging to the collections. No payment is requiredfor these loans.

Financial support for ResearchThe Foundation spends considerablesums encouraging and facilitatingthe work of researchers interested inLe Corbusier’s œuvre. Its ResourceCentre is open daily to enthusiastsand specialists, research grants areavailable to young researchers, resi-dencies in Le Corbusier’s apartment,meetings and seminars are organized,and specialized studies published.

The Foundation also responds torequests from students and resear-chers in need of information orwishing to obtain reproductions ofdocuments for their work.

The Resource centre contains all ofLe Corbusier’s published works, thestudies devoted to him worldwideand his personal library. There arealso more than 400,000 digitizeddocuments available for consultation.

MeetingsEvery year the Foundation organizes“Rencontres”, open to all those inter-ested in developing their knowledgeof Le Corbusier’s work. Lectures aregiven by specialists. These eventsare also an opportunity to meet survi-ving eyewitnesses of the architect’swork.

They have given rise to publicationsissued by the Foundation : LaConservation de l'œuvre construitede Le Corbusier (1990), Le Corbusieret la nature (1991), Le Corbusier et lacouleur (1992), Le Corbusier, Écri-tures (1993), Le Corbusier : la ville,l'urbanisme (1995), Le Corbusier & laBelgique (1997), Le Corbusier, voyages,rayonnement international (1997), LeLogement social dans la pensée etl'œuvre de Le Corbusier (2000), LeCorbusier et Paris (2001), LeCorbusier, le symbolique, le sacré, laspiritualité (2003), Le Corbusier, l'œu-vre plastique (2004), Le Corbusier, laSuisse, les Suisses (2005). In 2006, the Rencontres were devo-ted to “Biographical Moments”, heldat the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris.In Rome, in 2007, they dealt with Le Corbusier’s links with Italy.

AcquisitionsLa Foundation is concentrating itsacquisition policies on finding docu-ments – archives, manuscripts, correspondence, drawings, etc. –needed for a clearer understandingof Le Corbusier’s life and work, givingparticular attention to all documentsretracing the origins of his architec-tural, theoretical and editorial work.

Le Corbusier, Guitare verticale (1st version) oil on canvas,1920, 100 x 81cm, FLC 174

Le Corbusier, Marie Cuttoli, wool and silk weave, Aubusson 1936, 160 x 184


Publications • Publication of the written workThe Foundation ensures that bookspublished in Le Corbusier’s lifetime –in particular works belonging to thecollection L'Esprit Nouveau (Versune architecture, Urbanisme, L'Artdécoratif aujourd'hui, Précisions,etc.) or titles that are essential forknowledge of his work: l'Œuvre com-plète in eight volumes published byWilli Boesiger and Hans Girsberger,La Petite Maison, Le Poème del’Angle droit, etc. – are available inFrench. It equally encourages publi-cation in foreign languages.The Foundation has also launched anoperation to publish Le Corbusier’swritten work, texts as yet unpubli-shed or that have not so far beenpublished systematically: lectures,correspondence and articles inreviews. Les Conférences de Rio,with an introduction and notes byYannis Tsiomis, were published in2006 by the publisher Flammarion.

• Catalogue Raisonné of the drawnwork The Foundation has decided toundertake production of a CatalogueRaisonné of Le Corbusier’s drawnwork. The steering committee isacting as the contracting authorityfor the project and a scientific com-mittee has been set up. One of thescientific committee’s main tasks willbe to be to decide on inclusion ofworks in the catalogue.

• Publication of plansIn partnership with the publisherÉchelle 1, the Foundation has digit-ized all the plans produced by LeCorbusier’s Atelier, altogether morethan 35,000 documents, published infour boxed sets, each of four DVDs.

• Furniture issues and house fittingsSince 1965, the Foundation and bene-ficiaries of the co-authors haveentrusted furniture issues to the firmof Cassina Spa, sole licensee for LeCorbusier models and those pro-duced in collaboration with PierreJeanneret et Charlotte Perriand.These furnishings are part of thefirm’s “I Maestri” collection.The Foundation also endeavours to issue models designed by LeCorbusier but which have remainedun-issued, or to reissue models nolonger available. The Table La Rocheand the Fauteuil wagon-fumoir wereissued in 2006 as additions to therange of metal furniture. A new rangeof wood furniture will soon be avail-able.

In addition to these furniture issues,the dissemination of Le Corbusier’sPolychromie has been entrusted tothe Swiss firm kt. Color, which manu-factures and distributes Le Corbusierpaints. These are faithfully repro-duced on the basis of Salubra colourcharts and of research directly carriedout on the architect’s buildings, inparticular during restoration ofMaison Jeanneret-Perret at LaChaux-de-Fonds, the Double Housesin Stuttgart and Maison La Roche.

• Tapestry Issue The Foundation will issue on requestoriginal tapestries made using thecartoons drawn by Le Corbusier.Around fifteen titles, in different formats, are at present still available.Weaving is carried out at Aubussonunder the Foundation’s supervisionand the works are delivered accom-panied by a certificate of authenti-city.

Le Corbusier, Traces de pas dans la nuit, 1948-57, Picaud weave, Aubusson

Le Corbusier, Poème de l’angle droit,Electa reissue, 2007

Le Corbusier, Une petite maison,Birkhäuser reissue


Conseil d’Administration of 31 July 2008

• The representative of the Minister for Culture and Communication

• Members appointed by the Minister for Culture and Communication

• Jean-Marc Blanchecotte, architecte,chef du service départemental d’architecture de Paris, trésorier

• Jean-Louis Cohen, architecte, professeur d’histoire de l’architec-ture à New York University

• Jean-Pierre Duport, préfet honoraire, président

• Members appointed by the Association des Amis de Le Corbusier

• Dominique Claudius-Petit, président de l’Association des Amis

• Hélène de Roche, psychothérapeute• Hans Roth, biologiste

• Members appointed by the Fondation Le Corbusier

• Timothy Benton, historien de l’art, professeur à l’Open Universityde Grande-Bretagne

• Christian Briend, conservateur en chef du patrimoine, cabinet des Arts graphiques du Musée national d’Art moderne, Centre Pompidou

• Rémi Duval, président-directeur-général de l’Usine Duvalde Saint-Dié

• Daniel Gervis, galeriste, trésorier-adjoint

• Michel Kagan, architecte, professeur à l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris Belleville

• Rémi Papillault, architecte, professeur à l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Toulouse

• Claude Prelorenzo, sociologue, chargé de cours à l’école nationaledes Ponts et Chaussées, secrétaire général

• Bruno Reichlin, architecte, professeur à l’Accademia di Archittetura della Svizzera Italiana de Mendrisio,

• Jacques Sbriglio, architecte, professeur à l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Marseille

Rencontres de la Fondation• Claude Prelorenzo

Committee of experts for thearchitectural work• Bernard Bauchet, architecte• Jean-Marc Blanchecotte • Jean-Louis Cohen• Pierre-Antoine Gatier, architecte en

chef des monuments historiques• Rémi Papillault • Claude Prelorenzo • Robert Rebutato, architecte• Bruno Reichlin• Maria Salerno, architecte• Jacques Sbriglio• Yannis Tsiomis, architecte,

professeur à l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris Belleville

Working party for furnitureissues• Claude Prelorenzo• Robert Rebutato• Arthur Rüegg, architecte,

professeur émérite de l’ETH, Zürich• Michel Richard

Catalogue raisonné of Le Corbusier’s drawn work

> Steering Committee• Christian Briend• Jean-Louis Cohen• Daniel Gervis• Danièle Pauly• Jacques Sbriglio• Michel Richard

> Scientific Committee• Timothy Benton• Christian Briend• Christian Derouet, conservateur en

chef du patrimoine, musée national d’Art moderne, Paris

• Françoise de Franclieu, conservateur honoraire du patrimoine, présidente du comité

• Giuliano Gresleri, historien de l’art• Nadine Lehni, conservateur en

chef du patrimoine, musée Rodin, Paris

• Rainer Michael Mason, conservateur honoraire du cabinet des estampes du musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève

• Éric Mouchet, architecte• Danièle Pauly, historienne de l’art,

professeur à l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-Val-de-Seine, responsable scienti-fique du projet

• Bruno Reichlin• Stanislaus von Moos, historien

de l’art, professeur émérite de l’Université de Zürich

Publication of the writings:persons in charge of theworking parties

> Lectures• Timothy Benton

> Correspondence• Rémi Baudouï, historien,

professeur à l’IUAG de Genève

> Articles• Guillemette Morel-Journel,

architecte DPLG, chercheuse à l’ENSA de la ville et des territoires de Marne-la-Vallée

Adjudication of grants toyoung researchers• Rémi Baudouï• Jean-Louis Cohen• Timothy Benton• Françoise Ducros, historienne

de l’Art, inspectrice de la création artistique

• Éric Lengereau, architecte, chef du bureau de la Recherche archi-tecturale, urbaine et paysagère, ministère de la Culture et de la Communication

• Antoine Picon, professeur à la Harvard University Graduate School of Design

• Patrick Leitner, architecte, professeur à l’école nationale d’architecture de Bordeaux

• Claude Massu, historien, professeur à l’université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne et INHA

• Claude Prelorenzo• Josep Quetglas, architecte,

professeur à l’école d’architecture de l’université polytechnique de Catalogne

• Gilles Ragot, historien, professeur à l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Bordeaux

• Jacques Sbriglio• Catherine de Smet, historienne

de l’art, professeur à l’école supérieure d’Art de Rennes

• Stanislaus von Moos

Organisation / Network

FONDATION LE CORBUSIER8-10 square du Docteur Blanche - 75016 ParisTél. : 01 42 88 41 53 - Fax : 01 42 88 33 17www.fondationlecorbusier.fr ©

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• President – Jean-Pierre Duport• General Secretary – Claude Prelorenzo• Director – Michel Richard• Administration – Christine Mongin• Assistant, press relations – Paula

De Sa Couto• Switchboard – Anna Gortenuti• Architect – Bénédicte Gandini• Archives and Exhibitions - Isabelle

Godineau• Information – Delphine Studer • Library – Arnaud Dercelles • “Writings” project – Sophie Bogaert• “Catalogue raisonné of drawings”

project – Gabrielle Mahn• Reception Maison La Roche

and Apartement 24 NC – Claudia Weigert, Sébastien Borg

OPENING HOURS

Office Monday: 13h30 – 18h00Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:9h00/12h30 – 13h30/18h00Friday: 9h00/12h30 – 13h30/17h00

LibraryMonday to Thursday: 13h30/18h00 Friday: 13h30/17h00

Visits Maison La RocheMonday: 13h30/18h00 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:10h00/12h30 – 13h30/18h00Friday: 10h00/12h30 – 13h30/17h00Saturday: 10h00/17h00Groups must book in [email protected]: Line 9 - JasminLine 9-10 - Michel-Ange AuteuilBus : Line 52 - La Fontaine-Mozart Line PC - Suchet-Raffet

Visits Apartement-studio 24, rue Nungesser & Coli75016 Paris Wednesday: 9h00/12h00Saturday: 9h00/12h00Groups must book in [email protected] : Lines 9-10

Michel-Ange-MolitorBus : Line PC - Porte Molitor

La Petite Maison – “Villa Le Lac”Commune de Corseaux1802 – Corseaux – SwitzerlandTel. : + 41 21 925 40 11 www.corseaux.ch

La Fondation Le Corbusier

> HALL

Femme dansant – 1954Le Corbusier - Joseph SavinaPolychrome wood mounted on ironbase, signed J.S-L.C on base, undated54 x 31 cm FLC 15

Traces de pas dans la nuit – 1948-1957Picaud weave, AubussonSigned bottom centre Le Corbusier,undated 226 x 298 cm

> GALERIE

Marie Cuttoli – 1936Wool and silk weave, AubussonSigned and dated upper right Le Corbusier 36147 x 175 cm

Deux musiciennes – 1936-1937Oil on canvas, signed and dated bottom right Le Corbusier 36-37130 x 162 cmFLC 151

Totem – 1950Le Corbusier - Joseph SavinaNatural wood and iron, signed bottomright J.S et L-C, done in 1950H : 12,2 x L : 52 m x l : 40 cm FLC 8

Ozon II – 1940-1962Le Corbusier - Joseph SavinaPolychrome wood, signed and dated on right side of base J.S-L.C 6280 x 80 cm FLC 24

> PASSERELLE

Nature morte – 1927-1957Le Corbusier - Joseph SavinaPolychrome wood, signed and dated on base L.C-J.S 1957 1/597 x 72 x 40 cm FLC 19

Panurge II – 1962Le Corbusier - Joseph SavinaPolychrome wood, signed and dated on right side of base J.S-L.C 6270 x 70 x 45 cm FLC 23

> SALLE À MANGER

Nature morte au violon rouge1920Oil on canvas, signed bottom rightJeanneret, undated100 x 81 cmFLC 137

Guitare verticale (2ème version)1920Oil on canvas, signed bottom leftJeanneret, undated100 x 81 cmFLC 138

Nature morte – 1954Picaud weave, Aubussonsigned bottom left Le Corbusier, undated226 x 230 cm

List of works in the exhibition

The exhibition “31st July 1968 – 31st July 2008 – A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection” is being held as part of the fortieth anniver-sary celebrations for the setting up of the Fondation Le Corbusier inParis.

Project implementation

• Supervision of works, documentary research, Delphine Studer• UNESCO and Maison La Roche Projects, Bénédicte Gandini• Communications coordinator, Paula de Sa Couto• Project management, Christine Mongin• Translation, Malcolm Stuart – Frames, installation, Éric Galliache• Digitization, printing, Tribvn – Graphic design, Bernard Artal

Documents

Opening of Maison La Roche,photo Peter Willi, October 1970 July … · 2018-09-21 · 31st July 1968 – 31st July 2008 A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection 15th April–18th