Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life reframes one of the twentieth century's most consequential designers — not as a satellite of Le Corbusier's studio, but as an independent force whose politics, material instincts, and spatial imagination shaped modernism on her own terms.
About This Book
Charlotte Perriand's conviction that good design could improve everyday life was not abstract ideology — it drove everything from her modular furniture systems to her major architectural projects. This monograph traces that thread across the full span of her career, examining how her left-wing populist politics and acute attention to the organic qualities of nature coexisted with a belief in the egalitarian possibilities of industrial production. Justin McGuirk brings fresh perspective to her most celebrated interiors and furniture, while previously unpublished sketchbooks shed new light on her creative process. Essential reading for anyone studying twentieth-century design history, modernism, or the politics of the built environment.
Key Features
- 304 pages of reproductions of iconic interiors, original furniture, architectural projects, and never-before-seen sketchbooks
- Written by Justin McGuirk
- Published by Thames & Hudson, ISBN 9781872005522
What You'll Discover
- How Perriand's rejection by Le Corbusier's studio became a catalyst rather than a setback, and how her subsequent independence shaped her design philosophy
- The relationship between her left-wing populist politics and the formal decisions embedded in her modular furniture systems and architectural work
- Her dual engagement with the organic artistry of nature and the rationalist logic of machine-age production — and how she held both in tension
- Previously unpublished sketchbooks that reveal the working methods behind her most famous projects and her place in design history
About the Author
Justin McGuirk is a writer and curator whose work engages with design, architecture, and urbanism. He contributes critical context to Perriand's life and practice, drawing on original archival material to reassess her position in the modernist canon.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 304
- Dimensions: 193 x 251 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781872005522
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Designers, design historians, and students of modernism seeking a politically and materially grounded account of one of the twentieth century's most significant practitioners.