The work of Charlotte Perriand is truly remarkable. Between the 1920s and the beginning of the 21st century, the independent, widely travelled and amazingly creative designer moved freely between the realms of design, architecture and art. However, her name is most famously associated with famous contemporaries and friends such as Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Fernand Lèger. The new exhibition Charlotte Perriand: Inventing a New World, which can be viewed in the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 24 February 2020, could well finally change this. In this unique and elaboratively curated retrospective, visitors can delve deep into the work and biography of the French mastermind in 10 different gallery spaces.

Charlotte Perriand playfully switched between materials in her designs – from steel tubes to bamboo and straw to polyester. In her theories, she combined such diverse disciplines as urban planning, crafts, economics and humanism. Like Le Corbusier, she wanted to reinvent the way we live and together they designed numerous pieces of furniture such as the famous Chaise longue basculante. Particularly impressive are the recreations of her former studio and important buildings from her extensive biography. Also interesting is the interplay of Perriand’s designs with works by contemporary artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder and Robert Delaunay. 

Photos: Fondation Louis Vuitton