Le Corbusier Le Grand - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0714846686 ISBN 13: 9780714846682

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2008

Synopsis

LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND is the only book you'll ever need on the world's most influential architect.
''He is the Leonardo of our time.'' - Eero Saarinen
''He has provided enough for a whole generation to live on.'' - Walter Gropius
''The world's greatest architect.'' - Oscar Niemeyer
''Without question No. 1.'' - Philip Johnson
Le Corbusier (1887-1965) is known as of one of the giants of twentieth-century architecture and design. The Swiss-born, self-named architect was not only the creator of some of the most impressive buildings of the last century, he was also an accomplished painter, sculptor, furniture designer, urbanist, and author. His work and social theories continue to be a dominant force today, and his elegant manner, typified by his iconic round black eyeglasses, is still the signature look for architects around the world. Only a book grand in size could encapsulate such a legendary figure.

Phaidon Press is pleased to announce the publication of LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND, a spectacular visual biography of the life and work of the father of Modern architecture. Weighing in at 20 pounds, this massive book is packed with 2,000 images and documents, many rare or previously unpublished. Drawing on an array of archival materials, this sumptuous volume depicts not only the vast and varied output of Le Corbusier, but also the major events, people, and forces that shaped the life of a man who continues to fascinate those in and outside the architectural world.
LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND follows the same dramatically oversized design of the critically acclaimed Andy Warhol Giant Size (Phaidon, 2006). The large format enables the reader to explore in detail a myriad of fascinating photographs, letters, personal correspondence, art works, notes, press clippings, sketches, and ephemera all featured in this one of a kind publication. The rarely seen photographs and correspondence shed new light on Le Corbusier's relationships with Josephine Baker, Eileen Gray, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, and many others. A separate booklet includes transcriptions and translations (from French to English) of all featured documents.

LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND includes an insightful introductory essay by Jean-Louis Cohen, one of the world's most authoritative architectural historians, and incisive chapter introductions by Tim Benton, a highly regarded Le Corbusier scholar. This luxurious book is a striking addition to any coffee table, making it an extraordinary gift for anyone with an interest in art, architecture, or design.

About this title

Review:

Le Corbusier Le Grand is an enormous and enormously appealing monograph on one of the greatest and most controversial visionaries of the twentieth century: Le Corbusier (1887-1965). Publisher Phaidon's super-sized volume features thousands of stunning photographs of the seminal architect, his buildings and plans, writings, and related documents (sketchbooks, personal snapshots, even postcards). With the turn of each page, readers can follow Corbusier's trajectory from revolutionary young artist and prolific writer to globe-trotting, celebrity-crusader for modern architecture and urban planning. Esteemed architectural historian and Corbusier expert Jean-Louis Cohen provides an elegant introductory essay to this veritable archive of images. We learn that although the Swiss-born Le Corbusier hailed from a small town in a small country under the modest name Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, he was destined for greatness--largely of his own design. A prime mover behind the International Style (perhaps the first truly global architectural-design language), Corbusier brought modern design principles and their promise of improved living standards to the world stage. Futuristic high rise apartment complexes, office towers, highly functional streamlined interiors and furniture made primarily of industrial materials may all be attributed in part to him and his controversial utopian mission to transform our daily lives into a highly functional and beautiful system. Le Corbusier Le Grand is an extravagant, yet essential tome for libraries, those interested in modernism, city planning, and especially those with a really big coffee table. --Lauren Nemroff

Take a Look at Featured Images from Le Corbusier Le Grand

(CLICK on Images to Enlarge)

About the Author:

Jean-Louis Cohen is undoubtedly France's most authoritative and knowledgeable historian of twentieth-century architecture and urbanism. He divides his time between Paris and New York, where he is the Sheldon H. Solow Professor in the History of Architecture at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University.
Tim Benton, a highly regarded Le Corbusier scholar, is a Lecturer in the History of Art, Open University, Milton Keynes, England.

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0714846686
• ISBN 13: 9780714846682
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 768
• Editor: Jean-Louis Cohen