Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life

Enter the world of Charlotte Perriand, whose pioneering designs shaped the 20th century. Her modern ideas can be found in the way we live today, from the use of materials such as aluminium and steel, to her belief that good design is for everyone. 

Experience large-scale reconstructions  of her most famous interiors and enjoy some of her furniture up close. The exhibition will also feature photography  and  personal notebooks  that shed new light on her unique creative process, alongside works by her friends and peers, including  Le Corbusier,  Fernand Léger  and etchings by Pablo Picasso. 

The exhibition was curated in collaboration with the Perriand family and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, which staged a highly successful retrospective last year and marks the 25th anniversary of the first Charlotte Perriand exhibition at the Design Museum in 1996.

Charlotte Perriand joined Le Corbusier studio in Paris in 1927 and co-created timeless pieces including the Grand Confort armchair, and the Chaise Longue Basculante.

She believed architecture should meet human needs, and as far back as the 1920s she designed open-plan interiors to make sure women didn’t feel trapped in their homes.

From the 1930s onward she increasingly looked at nature for inspiration and was highly influenced by the years she spent in Japan during the Second World War. A passionate skier, Perriand designed one of the most recognisable ski resorts in the world, Les Arcs.

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This exhibition was curated in collaboration with the Perriand family and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Background image © FLC/ ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2020/ AChP.