Héritages exhibition at Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation

Photo by Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.

Galerie Philia has collaborated with the nomadic arts magazine Eclipse for Héritages, an exhibition exploring the concepts of ‘resonances’ and ‘dissonances’. The show is held in the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille, a legacy of the modernist movement developed by Le Corbusier.

The gallery commissioned eight international designers to produce new works that explore, rethink and reinterpret Le Corbusier’s urbanistic, architectural and decorative principles. In conjunction, Eclipse selected an ensemble of modern and contemporary artworks by six visual artists to illustrate the famed architect’s affiliation with the visual arts.

Héritages unfolds across two adjacent rooms, in an apartment with large bay windows built upon the Modulor proportion system. Through the work of several artists and designers, the exhibition aims to offer a creative visual response to Le Corbusier’s modernist theories, which have been questioned, endorsed, and criticised at once.

“Le Corbusier is considered one of the most influential historical figures in contemporary design. Either by affiliation or disaffiliation, the ensemble of works in this exhibition questions his work and his legacy, and intends to respond to his theoretical but also polemical genius”, says Ygaël Attali, co-founder of Galerie Philia.

Lodovico Colli Di Felizzano

Heritages Exhibition Photo Lodoclick Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 03

Heritages Exhibition Photo Lodoclick Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 04

Heritages Exhibition Photo Lodoclick Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 05

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 06

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 07

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 08

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 09

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 10

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 11

Heritages Exhibition Photo Maison Mouton Noir Courtesy Of Galerie Philia Courtesy Of Le Corbusier Foundation Paris 2022 Yellowtrace 12

Lodovico Colli Di Felizzano

In the first room dedicated to ‘resonances’, the new furniture designs can be seen as a continuation of Le Corbusier’s legacy, responding harmoniously to his aesthetics. Highlights include the vase by Rick Owens, known for his clean lines and brutalist signature, an armchair by Pietro Franceschini with pure yet functional volumes, and a minimalist sculptural sofa by Arno Declerq made of steel, a material often used by the celebrated architect. Indian designer Paul Matter, whose work is deeply influenced by the architecture of the Palace of Assembly in Chandigarh, presents a brass light based on the mathematical and precise measures of The Modulor. Three artworks, reflecting Le Corbusier’s pictorial style and echoing his theorization of the harmony of forms, complete the display. They include works by Edgar Sarin and Mateo Revillo, and the original engraving ‘Le Chevalier ‘(1948) by Pablo Picasso.

The second room dedicated to ‘dissonances’ features sculptural and visual works that reflect critically on Le Corb’s theories of standardisation and regularity. These include the ceramic table by Jojo Corväiá, full of irregularities and cracks, the notched and iridescent pedestal table in salt by Roxane Lahidji, the sculpted oak work by Jérôme Pereira exploring the question of balance always in motion, and the hammered bronze candlesticks by Niclas Wolf. Eclipse here selected drawings by modern artist Sam Szafran and contemporary artists Fabrice Hyber and Flora Temnouche to emphasize the importance of oscillations in visual arts. Hyber’s paintings made with vegetal resins depict volatile convolutions of intertwined leaves, and Szafran’s and Temnouche’s drawings on paper feature interior landscapes in which the precision of the line serves a confused and diluting whole.