The first New York exhibition dedicated entirely to the work of Le Corbusier launches at Pratt Institute School of Architecture next week celebrating the renowned Swiss-French architect, urbanist, designer, writer, and painter, Le Corbusier (born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris).
The exhibition, entitled "Miracle Boxes” will focus on Le Corbusier’s unique multidisciplinary approach as demonstrated in his architecture, city planning, books, paintings, architecture, and sculpture. The exhibition will provide a comprehensive analysis of the work of Le Corbusier and show how his ideas for reinventing modern living are echoed in contemporary architecture and design.
The title of the exhibition refers to the architect’s concept of the boîte à miracles, a container that can be filled with “everything you dream of” that refers to architecture as a work and place of creation.
The exhibition’s architectural portion will provide an in-depth look at more than 50 of Le Corbusier’s public buildings, including all his exhibition pavilions, museums, theaters, cultural centers, monuments, and temples. Among the projects to be featured are Pavillon des Temps Nouveaux; Pavillon for Liege/San Francisco; the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo; Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut Ronchamp; and the capitol of Chandigarh, India.
The exhibition will be accompanied by films on Le Corbusier’s life and work, including Le Corbusier’s Poeme Electronique, which was originally shown at the Philips Pavilion of 1958 in Brussels, Belgium, and other documentary films.
A radical thinker and prolific writer, Le Corbusier published more than 60 books and thousands of articles. Original editions of such seminal works as Vers un Architecture, Precisions, Le Modulor, and Le Corbusier Oeuvre Complete will be on display in the Pratt Library from August 30 through November 20, 2010. In addition, a timeline of the projects displayed in Higgins Hall will accompany the book display, providing exhibition attendees with a comprehensive view of Le Corbusier’s work over time.
The exhibition will also include the Miracle Box: a full-scale construction based on Le Corbusier’s smallest architectural project, or a “working cell” that was originally located inside his Atelier in Paris. Measuring approximately 7½ feet cube, the project synthesizes the architecture and art of Le Corbusier.
Pratt Institute School of Architecture will also host the symposium “Voyage through Le Corbusier” in conjunction with the “Le Corbusier – Miracle Boxes” exhibition.
Photos courtesy of Fondation Le Corbusier and Ivan R. Shumkov.
