charlotte perriand: from photography to design

charlotte perriand: from photography to design through september 18th, 2011 petit palais, paris

‘un ami sur un mur’ 1936image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

a current exhibition at the petit palais in paris, is showcasing the work of french architect and designer charlotte perriand. composed of 380 photographs and 70 pieces of furniture, the installation reveals for the first time, the role photography played in the iconic designers creative process.

expressing both the methodologies and innovations of her work, the exhibition emphasizes perriand’s passion for and draw towards found objects, art and elements of nature. stimulated by the rationalist spirit of the 1920’s, the photographs capture a particular aesthetic which ultimately guided the flexibility and freedom of her work for le corbusier and pierre jeanneret. 

a selection of furniture pieces are also on show, exemplifying the correlation between the ranging photographs and the three dimensional pieces who form material and spatial arrangements. for the exhibition, the artifacts have been integrated into the petit palais’s permanent collection, emphasizing the impact of modernity.

model of ‘the pavilion of the ministry of agriculture’, 1937 image © designboom

detail of model image © designboom

photomontage image © designboom

detail image © designboom

‘passager d’un bateau’, 1937. image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘charlotte perriand en savoie‘, 1930image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘inconnu’, 1936 image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘rognon de silex cerné, trouvé en maurienne’, 1933 image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘pont à poutrelle’, 1933 image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘immeuble de l’armée du salut en construction’, 1931 image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘art brut grès plage normandie vers’, 1935 image © AChP_ADAGP, Paris 2011

‘ombre’ (shadow), stacking chair, 1955 image © designboom

‘ombre’ (shadow), stacking chair, 1955 image © designboom

profile of ‘ombre’

‘room divider’, 1954image courtesy of cassina © F.L.C /AChP_ADAGP, paris 2011

‘bamboo’, lounge chair, 1940 photographie pernette perriand-barsac, © F.L.C /AChP_ADAGP, 2005

‘chaise longue basculante’, 1938 image courtesy of cassina © F.L.C /AChP_ADAGP, paris 2011

‘swivel chair’, 1927. image courtesy of cassina © F.L.C /AChP_ADAGP, paris 2011

(from top left to bottom) ‘petalo nesting tables’ 1951, ‘table basse’ 1984, ‘tokyo lounge‘ images © F.L.C /AChP_ADAGP

‘petalo nesting tables‘, 1951image courtesy of cassina © F.L.C /AChP_ADAGP, paris 2011

entrance to exhibition image © designboom

petit palais image © designboom