VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | pr@mori.art.

museum

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Le Corbusier:
Art and Architecture - A Life of Creativity
A Celebration on the 120th Anniversary of Le Corbusier's Birth
Featuring his Architecture and his Art, and Including Full-Scale,
Walk-In Reproductions of Three Architectural Spaces
Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
26 May (Saturday) 24 September (Monday), 2007
Le Corbusier is without doubt the best-known non-Japanese architect in Japan. Not
only did this founding father of modernism leave behind numerous architectural icons, but he
was also an artist, working in private to create a vast array of personal creative vistas in
paintings, drawings and sculptures. There was a constant interplay between his architecture
and his art, and similarities can be seen in their development over his career. By covering all
of the various facets of this unique individuals creative output, "Le Corbusier: Art and
Architecture A Life of Creativity" seeks to examine Le Corbusier the man, providing an allencompassing overview of his achievements.
Le Corbusier Cabanon 1952/2006 reproduction (CASSINA S.p.A., Italy)
Courtesy: CASSINA S.p.A., CASSINA IXC. LTD

VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | pr@mori.art.museum

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A Life of Creativity
Le Corbusier was born in 1887 in Switzerland, in time to witness first hand the frenzy
of scientific discovery and technological invention that marked the turn of the century.
However, as the age of mass production dawned, Le Corbusier, like many others of his time,
saw in it the seeds of alienation of the individual and the potential for increasingly inhumane
urban development. Perhaps his greatest achievement was to integrate the industrial
developments of his time into a more human-friendly framework, one that took into
consideration human needs and desires. In the process he created an unmistakably modern,
yet at the same time more humane architectural aesthetic, one that you could say fused the
stark functionality of his architects eye with the free-flowing, organic curves of his paintings.

Le Corbusier
Nature morte rouge au violon
1920
100 x 81 cm
oil on canvas
(C) FLC

The exhibition begins with paintings and then continues with models, drawings and
photographs depicting his architecture and urban planning. This composition mirrors Le
Corbusier's life, which was devoted to architecture and art in equal measure. It is
little known that Le Corbusier devoted his mornings to painting; architecture only started in
the afternoons when he went to his office. As he explained, "part of every day of my life has
been devoted to drawing. I have never stopped drawing and painting, looking wherever I
could for the secrets of form. You don't have to look any further than this for the key to my
work and research..."

VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | pr@mori.art.museum

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Full-scale, Walk-in Reproductions Experience his Atelier and

Significant Architectural Spaces Firsthand
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a number of full-scale reproductions of
architectural spaces. The show starts with a walk-in model of his atelier in Paris complete
with furniture and other personal trappings. There is also a full-size reproduction of a twostory apartment from his important "Unit" project in Marseilles, and another of "le
Petite Cabanon," a small wooden hut he built at Cap Martin in the south of France,
his final home. Each is large enough for visitors to walk inside, providing a rare chance to
experience Le Corbusiers creations firsthand and view his furniture, paintings and
sculptures within that context. The exhibition is further enhanced by the use of dozens of
photographs and videos, some including three-dimensional computer graphic renderings.
The majority of exhibits come from the Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris, and the
Centre Pompidou, however many others will come from lenders elsewhere and in Japan.
Many of the art works come from the Mori Art Collection, which includes a substantial
number of drawings, paintings and tapestries assembled by Mori Art Museum founder Mori
Minoru. The exhibition also benefits from the advice of leading Japanese architects such as
Maki Fumihiko and Ando Tadao. A color, bilingual catalog (Japanese and English)
will be produced to coincide with the exhibition, and a supporting program of tours, talks,
lectures and symposia will also be held.
The 120th anniversary of Le Corbusiers birth is sure to keep him in the news
worldwide. This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to explore the full gamut of his creative
endeavor.

Le Corbusier
Model for Unit
d'habitation, Marseille,
France
Fondation Le Corbusier,
Paris
(C) FLC

VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | pr@mori.art.museum

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Exhibition Sections
Section 1: Live the Art
Predominantly his earlier paintings, together with a full-size recreation
of the studio where he created them.
Section 2: A Machine for Living
Architecture with dimensional standards derived from human body
proportions, and his Five Points for a New Architecture.
Section 3: The Dream of a Community
Some of Le Corbusier's unbuilt projects, including his Palais des
Soviets and the Mundaneum.
Section 4: Experiments in Art

Le Corbusier
La Femme et le Moineau 1957
220 x 223cm, tapestry
(C) FLC

His later paintings and sculptures, full of color and brimming with
curves and free-flowing brushwork.
Section 5: Living in Harmony
The biggest attraction of the show, a full-size reproduction of a twostory apartment from his "Unit d'Habitation" in Marseilles.
Section 6: The Radiant City
Le Corbusier's ideas on urban planning: creating modern cities on a
human scale.
Section 7: The Open Hand
Chandigarh in IndiaLe Corbusier's only fully realized plan for a city,
exhibited in drawings, videos and models.
Section 8: The Miracle of the Space
Light-filled religious architecture, including the chapel at Ronchamp
and his last project, the Chapel at Firminy.

Le Corbusier
Totem
1950
(C) FLC

Section 9: Into the Diverse World

Le Corbusier's deep involvement with Japan, and other works around
the world.
Section 10: Return to the Sea
A reproduction of "le Petite Cabanon," a small wooden hut he built at Cap Martin in the south of
France, looking out over his beloved Mediterranean. (First showing in Japan.)

VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | pr@mori.art.museum

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Public Programs
Symposium: Le Corbusier Today: 21st Century Significance and the Call for World
Heritage Listing
*Japanese-English and Japanese sign language simultaneous interpretation
Date: May 26 (Sat) 18:30-21:00
Section 1: The International Call for World Heritage Listing
Speakers: M.J.P. Duport (Director, Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris), Aoyagi Masaki (Director,
The National Museum of Western Art), Kiran Joshi (Professor, Chandigarh College of
Architecture), Yamana Yoshiyuki (Associate Professor, Tokyo University of Science), and
others
Section 2: Le Corbusier in the 21st Century
Speakers: Ito Toyo (Architect), Aoki Jun (Architect), Chiba Manabu (Architect) and Nanjo
Fumio (Director, Mori Art Museum)
Venue: Roppongi Academyhills 49 Tower Hall
Capacity: 500
Admission: Adult 1,500 yen, Students & MAMC member 1,000 yen
*Details and bookings available on website [www.mori.art.museum], Email
[ppevent@mori.art.museum], and Fax [03-6406-9351].
Enquiries: Public Programs, Tel 03-6406-6101
* Other Programs featuring well-known architects Maki Fumihiko, Isozaki Arata, Kurokawa
Kisho, Ando Tadao and Yatsuka Hajime are also being planned. Please enquire for details.

VOL.2 | 19 MARCH 2007 | MORI ART MUSEUM PR DEPT. | TEL: +81-3-6406-6111 | pr@mori.art.museum

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General Information
Organizers:

Mori Art Museum; Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris; NHK; The Yomiuri

Shimbun
Exhibition planned by: Mori Art Museum
Corporate Sponsors: TAISEI CORPORATION GALERIE TAISEI, OBAYASHI CORPORATION,
KAJIMA CORPORATION, SHIMIZU CORPORATION,
TAKENAKA CORPORATION, Sony Corporation,
Lehman Brothers Japan Inc, LOEWE JAPAN, SECOM CO., LTD.,
NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD, NIHON SEKKEI, INC., SAINT-GOBAIN,
Kenchiku Setsubi Sekkei Kenkyusho,
IRIE MIYAKE ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS,
KINDEN CORPORATION, SANKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
Supported by:
Japan Airlines, Cassina S.p.A., Cassina IXC. Ltd.,
CAD CENTER CORPORATION, IMAGICA TV Corp., hhstyle.com,
Okunomatsu Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., KIRIN BREWERY COMPANY,
LIMITED, MANO GLASS CO., LTD., RENTRAK JAPAN CO., LTD.,
LONGRIDE, INC.
Advisers:

Maki Fumihiko (Architect), Isozaki Arata, (Architect), Kurokawa Kisho

(Architect), Ando Tadao (Architect), Michel Richard (Director,
Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris) and others
Planning committee: Nanjo Fumio (Director, Mori Art Museum), Yamana Yoshiyuki
(Associate Professor, Tokyo University of Science), Sendai Shoichiro
(Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima
University), Hayashi Misa (Curator, Gallerie Taisei) and others
Additional support by: Echelle-1, Gallerie Taisei,
CITE DE L'ARCHITECTURE ET DU PATRIMOINE,
FERNANDO MARZ, ARQUITECTE, S.L.U.
Mori Art Museum:
Hours:
Admission:

Advance ticket sales:

Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 1066150 Japan, Tel: 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial) www.mori.art.museum
10:00 - 22:00 (Tues: 10:00 - 17:00)
*Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Adult: 1,500
University/Highschool students: 1,000
Children (4 years to Junior Highschool students): 500
*Ticket also valid for Tokyo City View observation deck (Tokyo City
View opening hours differ to Mori Art Museum)
Adult: 1,200; Student: 900; Child: 500 conditions as above.
Available from 1 April through Ticket Pia (P-code: 687-308).

Press Photographs:
Images are available on our website and on request.
Press Contact Details: Mr. Corkill, Ms. Takahashi, Ms. Tamura
Tel: +81-3-6406-6111 Fax: +81-3-6406-9351
E-mail: pr@mori.art.museum Website: www.mori.art.museum