Opening of Maison La Roche, photo Peter Willi, October 1970 31st July 1968 – 31st July 2008 A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection Fortieth Anniversary of the setting up of the Fondation Le Corbusier 15th April – 18th June 2008 Maison La Roche - Paris hile still only in his infancy With my wife’s agreement, I have “I here declare, for every eventuality, W as an architect and budding arranged to leave what I own to the that I leave everything that I possess artist, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret poor. to an administrative entity, the was already at an early age showing Now, what I own can at best be a will to achieve ambitious aims and used as something to light the fire “Fondation Le Corbusier”, or any a desire to leave behind him signifi- with. Here at 24 rue Nungesser et other meaningful form, which shall cant traces of his endeavour that Coli (and even at 35 Sèvres in a become a spiritual entity, that is, would outlast his earthly existence. cellar), I have substantial archives a continuation of the endeavour “Let life be something with a goal of all kinds: drawings, writings, and not merely an arrow speeding notes, travel diaries, albums, etc. pursued throughout a lifetime. toward death” he wrote to his I don’t want some hooligan happily ” Le Corbusier parents in 1910 (1). pillaging it all, and destroying series Note dated 13 January 1960 whose value depends on their being Having become Le Corbusier, complete. without direct heirs and driven by In other words, we’ll have to take a the fear that his carefully conserved look at my archives so as to make archives and works be scattered the most of them (to sell them, or after his death, he spent the last give them to people, institutions fifteen years of his life conceiving or museums). and implementing, down to its Conclusion: the aim of this letter smallest details, the project of a is to set you thinking and to request Foundation that would bear his name. you – when the time comes –to take immediate possession, or rather, Already in 1949, he had written, immediate control of my archives, in a letter addressed to his friend so as to protect them from being Jean-Jacques Duval, for whom he wrongfully scattered. built the Duval factory in Saint-Dié: And the present letter, with my signature, is to be used as (1) Letter of 2 October 1910. One can conk out at any time of documentary proof, for whatever (2) 30 April 1949, quoted in Jean-Jacques life. I’ve been talking about it to my purpose it may serve. Duval, Le Corbusier, l’écorce et la fleur, brother who is here on a visit. With my friendship and my gratitude (2). Paris, Éditions du Linteau, 2006. “…we’ll have to take a look at my archives so as to make the most of them […]”. Villa le Lac, Corseaux, photo Olivier-Martin Gambier, 2006 To pursue the question of the provisional deed of donation as a Early days Fondation Le Corbusier, I am sending sharp curb to take the wind out of you here the decisions taken with my any stranger’s sails. That’s what they Heavily involved in the big brother Albert on his visit last call the prudence and wisdom of building commissions that got under Sunday, 29 September. nations! way at the beginning of the fifties, Le 1°/ We have agreed that the little I mean this very seriously and I think Corbusier, although still concerned maison du Lac, and the land belonging it essential that these two steps with his project for a Foundation, no to it, which, as our father’s heirs, are should be taken right away - the longer had much time to devote to it. our jointly held property (under Swiss donation of the maison du Lac and law), could be made over directly to that of the house in the Square du It was only in 1957, shortly before his the Foundation, envisaged as having Docteur Blanche. 70th birthday, that he started thinking its legal business address in Switzer- about it again in more precise terms. land, to facilitate the succession or In making his project a reality, Le In a series of letters exchanged with the inheritance. Corbusier very rapidly sought the help of Gabriel Chéreau, a lawyer his friend the banker Jean-Pierre de 2°/ This little house would also be from Nantes and the legal consultant Montmollin, he requested the latter’s used as the “Fondation Albert who had defended him in the advice on determining the legal Jeanneret”, in which the consider- Marseilles trial and obtained for him status of the future Foundation. He able quantity of Albert Jeanneret’s the commission for the Unité d’habi- manuscripts would be conserved tation in Rezé. His job was to find an informed him of his intentions in a and which would be authorised to ideal legal set-up for the Foundation letter dated 1 October 1957. publish his musical works at any time and to draw up its statutes. Le in the future. Corbusier also called upon the skills of other outside experts, Alphonse 3°/ We need to find the relevant strat- Ducret, an engineer and the agem for divesting our two indivi- President of the Fédération duals, Albert Jeanneret and Le Internationale du Bâtiment, as well Corbusier, of the instant ownership as his lawyer, Maître Maguet. of the house (in case of one or the other’s decease), since we have no The archives left by Le Corbusier valid inheritors. attest to the increasing importance this project was taking in his life: 4°/ And what’s more, something that letters to his friends, to state officials, is always to be feared for old gentle- to foreign dignitaries; notes in his men of our age is falling into the carnets, various traces on sheets of clutches of femmes fatales with paper or cards (invitations, menus or exaggerated ideas about people’s programmes), texts typed in the fortunes and capable, with the Atelier, handwritten letters sent from talents Nature has given them, of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, meetings in twisting round their little fingers one the apartment in rue Nungesser et or other of the septuagenarians in Coli… question. In other words, use this 2 • 31st July 1968 - 31st July 2008 A Foundation and a Modern Art Collection On the roof of the Nantes-Rezé Unité d’Habitation, Gabriel Chéreau, José-Luis Sert, André Wogenscky, Le Corbusier, photo Lucien Hervé but not adapted to the needs of the lities for locating the Foundation’s Groundwork future institution. headquarters. The different schemes Le Corbusier then began negotiations all included the Musée National d’Art Le Corbusier had begun by on two different fronts. On one hand, Moderne, where a large part of his defining his conception of the he succeeded in persuading his collection of paintings was deposi- Foundation’s missions at a very early friend Raoul La Roche, for whom he ted. Thus, in one of these schemes, stage, but he still had to draw up a had built the house in Square du he planned to present a selection of timetable of the legal steps needed Docteur Blanche and who had no works in Villa Savoye (“Musée for it to become a reality at the direct heirs, to donate the house to Corbu”), with the Foundation’s secre- appointed time. There were now four the Foundation. On the other, in his tariat being housed in Maison La major points that were to focus all his talks with André Malraux on the Roche. Paintings, sculptures and attention and that of his friends. restoration and future attribution of drawings would have been stored by Villa Savoye, which had just been the Musée d’Art Moderne. The role • Their most immediate task was to saved from demolition, he proposed that this institution might play in the define a legal status, which would to turn it into an international centre project was the subject of numerous ensure both the Foundation’s coming housing the Fondation Le Corbusier. discussions with its two curators, into being and its permanence, and who had been closely following provide it with the necessary resources Le Corbusier’s work, Bernard Dorival for accomplishing its missions. The et Maurice Besset. main subject of his preliminary study was the tax question, but it also On 3 July 1959, after an exchange of confirmed the advantage to be gained letters lasting several months, Le from conceiving of the Foundation as Corbusier sent a handwritten letter to a testamentary body after the death La Roche to thank him for formally of its founder. To begin with, however, confirming the donation of his house this solution meant provisionally in Square du Docteur Blanche to the forming an association with the job of Fondation Le Corbusier. ensuring a transition/transfer in legal and material conditions that were On this occasion you and I are sound. accomplishing a material and moral act expressing our mutual respect • It was equally important to find and our faith in art. Your life and mine premises to house the different acti- alike have been inspired by it. vities of the Foundation. The project After my time, the Fondation Le required office accommodation for a Corbusier will prolong the research secretariat, exhibition and meeting Portrait of Raoul La Roche, I have devoted myself to; giving this spaces as well as a building for photo private collection foundation a roof will consecrate the stocking archives and a large collec- friendship that brought us together tion of works of art.