CHANDIGARH
April 30, 2024
Pierre Jeanneret
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Dumas+Limbach is pleased to present "Chandigarh through Pierre Jeanneret" a solo show presented online. On this occasion, we will showcase emblematic artworks of the iconic designer Pierre Jeanneret.
Chandigarh, the story of a city, symbol of a new hope. Chandi, who is a Indian desiccation, Garh meaning fortify. The project was the brainchild of Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who, following India's independence in 1947, wanted to build a new city as an expression of the nation's confidence in the future.
In 1949, Nehru commissioned the American architect Albert Mayer to design a synthesis of English garden cities and American green belt houses, with the idea of adapting this model to Indian culture. He carried out this work with a young Polish architect, Matthew Nowicki. Nowicki's death in a plane crash in 1950 and India's desire for “non-alignment” led Albert Mayer to abandon the project. Two Indian engineers went on a mission to Europe to find a replacement architect. In France, they were recommended to Auguste Perret, but he was busy building Le Havre. They finally arrived at Le Corbusier's, who saw an opportunity to draw up a city plan, something he had never been able to do since the failure of all his post-war reconstruction projects.
PIERRE JEANNERET
PJ-SI-26-A Student chair, 1955
armchair in solid teak wood with woven carnage back and seat
76,5 x 63 x 52 cm
PIERRE JEANNERET
PJ-SI-28-A Office chair, 1955
armchair in solid teak wood with woven carnage back and seat
80,5 x 50 x 48 cm
Le Corbusier's cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, lived in Chandigarh from 1951 to 1966, “patiently following the implementation of his authoritarian cousin's projects”, and designed some 100 buildings and numerous pieces of furniture. Pierre Jeanneret is a virtuoso on domestic scales: the houses, crèches, small schools and dispensaries he designs are treasures of modern architecture. He designed most of the administrative buildings and, whenever he designed the architecture, he also designed the furniture, which could be seen everywhere during visits to Chandigarh and which is now tending to disappear.
For Chandigarh, there's no doubt: this is Pierre Jeanneret's mature work. Clean lines at the service of functionality. A perfect blend of modernity and spirituality. Contrasting materials reinforce this dichotomy. The choice of materials is established according to the hierarchy of the person for whom it is intended. Divided into several categories (four identifiable), the furniture features X, U, V and D shapes.
PIERRE JEANNERET
PJ-SI-30-A Committee chair, 1954
armchair in solid teak wood with leather
87 x 57 x 56 cm
PIERRE JEANNERET
PJ-SI-33-B Bench, 1955
Solid teak wood with woven carnage
46 x 137 x 46 cm
PIERRE JEANNERET
PJ-BU-08-B Desk, 1960
Solid teak
70 x 120 x 61 cm
PIERRE JEANNERET
PJ-SI-30-A Committee chair, 1954
armchair in solid teak wood with leather
87 x 57 x 56 cm
Pierre Jeanneret was born in 1896 and opened a studio with his cousin Le Corbusier. Together, they designed some of the most famous buildings of the 20th century, including the Villa Savoye, the Clarté building in Geneva and the Pavillon Suisse in Paris. In 1995, they joined forces again for a project in Chandigarh to design the new city. Together, they brought the modernity of the Western World, combined with the rural spirit of the Indian workers, and created an archaic yet modern form.
In 1955, India had a relatively low level of industrialization. So Pierre Jeanneret began to create a modern spirit by adapting his design to India's traditional craftsmanship. He worked with local materials such as teak, leather and reed, and used simple technologies to produce the furniture. It turned out to be quite a challenge, where simplicity became a sign of modernity.
In 1923, he opened an architectural practice at 35 rue de Sèvre in Paris with his cousin Charles Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier. They collaborated for some twenty years, and were among the fifteen architects who contributed to the modernist Weissenhof Estate exhibition in 1927. 1940 Pierre Jeanneret leaves German-occupied Paris to join a resistance unit in Grenoble with his colleagues Georges Blanchon and Jean Prouvé, suspending his collaboration with Le Corbusier until 1950.
Pierre Jeanneret's contribution to his association with Le Corbusier was no small one. He often drew the first sketches of plans, then gradually retouched and refined them with Le Corbusier. He knew how to stimulate his cousin's imagination or temper it with his own realism. He also played an important role in ensuring the continuity of the office, coordinating and controlling technical aspects.
