Born in 1896 in Geneva, Pierre Jeanneret was a highly successful artist, architect and designer. Jeanneret graduated in 1921 from the École des Beaux-Arts in...
Born in 1896 in Geneva, Pierre Jeanneret was a highly successful artist, architect and designer. Jeanneret graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in 1921 and two years later opened an architectural practice in Paris with his cousin Le Corbusier. The two worked side by side for a long time.
In 1926, they jointly published their aesthetic vision in the form of the manifesto 'Five Points Towards a New Architecture'. The Villa Savoy, a building on the outskirts of Paris, was built in 1928 by the duo and represents their stylistic ideology. The special design of the building gives a floating effect, almost as if the house is hovering above the ground.
The cousins also formed a creative trio with Charlotte Perriand between 1927 and 1940. The design trio designed the classics LC4, Chaise Longue and Fauteuil Grand Confort from 1928. The entrepreneur Micahel Thonet originally produced this furniture until Cassina, which still manufactures it today, took over production in 1965.
Among Jeanneret's major achievements is the Chandigarh project, which he participated in with Le Corbusier in India. This was a major architectural project that Jeanneret, after the departure of Le Corbusier, continued to pursue on his own. Jeanneret designed a large amount of furniture for the buildings that is still highly sought after today. These include chairs, desks and bookshelves for the government buildings in Chandigarh.
Pierre Jeanneret has often been overshadowed by his cousin. Jeanneret played a major role in the collaboration, not least in terms of professionalism and completing projects and commissions. He often stimulated and provoked his cousin's imagination with his own realism, resulting in groundbreaking design and architecture. Often it was Jeanneret who laid the foundations of the design that was then finalised by Le Corbusier. Pierre Jeanneret played a major role in the continuity of the studio, often taking care of the technical aspects. Today, Jeanneret's products can be found in brands such as Knoll and Cassina.
