Exhibition Now open
Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life
Meet one of the giants of 20th century design, a free spirit who championed good design for all and was often overshadowed by her famous male collaborators.
'The French queen of bold, electric modern design.’
★★★★★ The Telegraph
#PerriandLiving
What to expect
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 to her belief that good design is for everyone.
Step inside recreations of some of her most famous interiors, including the apartment designed for the Salon d’Automne in 1929, and enjoy some of her furniture up close, such as the iconic Chaise Longue Basculante and the Fauteuil Pivotant. Discover sketches, photographs, scrapbooks and prototypes that shed new light on her unique creative process and her rightful place in design history, alongside works by her friends and peers, including Le Corbusier, Fernand Léger and etchings by Pablo Picasso.
Her life as a fiercely independent woman - a pioneer, a sportswoman and a global traveller – can be traced throughout her work and helped define the modern interior.
The exhibition was curated in collaboration with the Perriand family and archive 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.
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.
'Dwellings should be designed not only to satisfy material specifications; they should also create conditions that foster harmonious balance and spiritual freedom in people’s lives.'
Charlotte Perriand
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Ticketing information
Adult £18
Family £26.50
Online booking in advance essential.
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Related events
Architecture for Modern Leisure
Explore how modern architecture transformed our understanding of leisure in this panel discussion to celebrate the upcoming exhibition Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life.
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sponsors
Reconstruction Content Partner
Cassina, the only company authorised to manufacture furniture designed by Charlotte Perriand, is delighted to be the Reconstruction Content Partner of the exhibition Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life for which it will provide authentic reconstructions of her works, including the revolutionary Salon d'Automne, and loan numerous pieces from its archive.
Rémy Martin: The Centaur
French cognac brand Rémy Martin is Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life's Official Drinks Partner. In support of the exhibition, Rémy Martin pays homage to French excellence and refined craftmanship with the mobile sculpture The Centaur, created in collaboration with artist and designer Charles Kaisin and Atelier Thiery - to be displayed in the museum's central Atrium.
With particular thanks to Design Museum Benefactors and the Charlotte Perriand Circle of Friends for their support of the exhibition:
John & María Pfeffer
Kathy Matsui
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.
Exhibition photos by Felix Speller, with thanks to WOKE Management.