Le Corbusier Album

Le Corbusier was unquestionably the most important figure in twentieth-century architecture. His work in both design and theory has never been equaled. His most famous buildings -- reflecting industrial as well as sculptural influences -- include Villa Savoie, Ronchamp Chapel, La Tourette, Uniteacute; d'Habitation, and the United Nations Building, which was created with an international roster of architects. His manifesto,Towards a New Architecture, is still read by all students of architecture worldwide. The genesis of theAlbum La Rocheis fascinating in itself. In 1923, Le Corbusier built one of his seminal houses, the Maison La Roche, for his young client and patron, Raoul La Roche; both were only twenty-seven years old. Before building the house, the men had gone together on an architectural "scouting trip" to Venice and Vicenza, where the architect kept a beautiful sketchbook of drawings, watercolors, and diagrams. On New Year's Day 1925, Le Corbusier presented La Roche with this exquisite album -- filled with paintings of landscapes, bowls of fruit, and portraits, as well as architectural plans, construction details, and mathematical calculations. The assemblage of different media and diverse subject matter reveals both sides of Le Corbusier's personality: whimsical and disciplined. These pages are exact replicas of the originals, to the point of showing watercolor bleeds and pencil smudges. The facsimile of theAlbum La Roche, bound in beige cloth, is in a case of black cardboard. Also inserted is a smaller text volume containing a lengthy essay by Stanislaus von Moos, a transcription of all of Le Corbusier's notes and notations, and a commentary on each page of the album. The entire case is contained in a slipcover. Published in a limited, numbered edition, the reproduction of the album is unparalleled.

Stanislaus von Moos is professor of the history of art at Zurich University.