Charlotte Perriand

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Charlotte Perriand (October 24, 1903 – October 27, 1999), was a French architect and designer.

Perriand became known at 24 years of age with "Bar Under the Roof" — furniture made out of chromed steel and anodized aluminium. This was presented at the Salon d'Automne of 1927 and was acclaimed by the critics. Shortly afterward, she was invited to begin a collaboration with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, which would last nearly ten years. She exhibited with them in the Salon d'Automne of 1929, "The Equipment of Habitation: Racks, Seats, Tables ". This furniture would be produced by Thonet and more recently by Cassina.

From 1940, onwards, her style was strongly influenced by a long stay in the Far East, and in particular in Japan from 1940 to 1942. Charlotte Perriand took part in the design of the ski resorts of Les Arcs in Savoie, at the same time making her architecture and installations of interiors. Since March 2004, Cassina produces the furniture of Charlotte Perriand.

[edit] Timeline

1903 Born in Paris, France.

1920 Enrols at the Ecole de l’Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs to study furniture design.

1926 Marries her first husband a year after graduation and converts their attic apartment into a ‘machine age’ interior.

1927 Was interviewed by Le Corbusier on and October afternoon. After a brief glance at her drawings she was rejected and Le Corbusier bid her farewell with a dry comment "We don't embroider cushions here." She left her card with him reglardless, 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 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 – or Living Equipment – at the Salon d’Automne.

1930 Separates from her husband and moves to Montparnasse. Travels to Moscow for a CIAM conference and designs fixtures for Pavilion Suisse at 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 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 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 Marseilles.

1951 Organises the French section of the Milan Triennale exhibition.

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 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 des Arts-Décoratifs, Paris.

1998 Publication of her autobiography, Une Vie de Création, and presentation of a retrospective at the Museum, London

1999 Charlotte Perriand dies in Paris.

[edit] References

  • Charlotte Perriand: Modernist Pioneer by Charlotte Benton. Design Museum, October 1996. ISBN 1-872005-99-3.
  • Charlotte Perriand: A Life of Creation by Charlotte Perriand. Monacelli, November 2003. ISBN 1-58093-074-3.
  • Charlotte Perriand: An Art of Living by Mary McLeod. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. December 2003. ISBN 0-8109-4503-7.
  • Charlotte Perriand: Livre de Bord by Arthur Ruegg. Birlhauser (Princeton Architectural Press); 1 edition, December 2004. ISBN 3-7643-7037-8.
  • Die Liege LC4 von Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret und Charlotte Perriand (Design-Klassiker by Volker Fischer. Birkhauser. ISBN 3-7643-6820-9.
  • Charlotte Perriand by Elisabeth Vedrenne. Assouline, November 2005. ISBN 2-84323-661-4.
  • Charlotte Perriand Un Art D'Habiter by J Barsac. Euro Pub.; 1st edition 2005. ASIN B000BP8AOM.

[edit] External links