Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier (1887–1956), born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, devoted his life to designing buildings that have become symbols of the Modern Movement. From the Villa Savoye in Poissy, through the utopian Cité radieuse in Marseille, to the design of the city of Chandigarh in India, his works have made him one of the most important figures in 20th-century architecture. A tireless theorist, when he could not realise his ideas, he expressed them through books, conferences and lectures around the world. The ‘five points of modern architecture’ and the idea of the house as a ‘machine for living’ have left an indelible mark on the discipline. A visionary and, at times, a provocateur, he owed many of his insights to the hours spent painting and drawing, leaving us a rich artistic output which, even today, awaits proper recognition.