Charles-Edouard JEANNERET, known as LE CORBUSIER... Lot 42

Charles-Edouard JEANNERET, known as LE CORBUSIER (1887-1965) Cité radieuse" staircase - 1959 Larch wood uprights, eleven exotic wood steps, black lacquered metal banister, manufactured by Ateliers Jean Prouvé. Restored to mint condition and maintenance on the banister. 230 x 69 cm (used condition, paint missing) Provenance: Housing unit, Briey en Forêt. *Sold by designation Note: The staircase, identical in each duplex, is the result of close collaboration between Jean PROUVE and LE CORBUSIER. It dates back to 1922. Le Corbusier wanted to create "vertical garden cities", capable of simultaneously meeting the aspirations of the individual home (in contact with nature) and the advantages of the collective building (access to modern facilities). This idea, perfected in the 1930s, led in 1939 to the design of a large building, with "interior streets", "duplex" apartments, equipped roof terrace and integrated shops. The Unité d'Habitation de Briey, also known as Ville Radieuse de Briey-en-Forêt, is a housing project built between 1959 and 1960 in Meurthe-et-Moselle by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, based on the model he established for Marseille. The housing project is part of a larger project for a new residential district in the heart of the forest in this commune of the Lorraine coalfield. Georges-Henri Pingusson is the chief architect for this neighborhood project, and is also building two 100-home complexes and a school nearby. The aim was to accommodate the growing population of the iron and steel industry. In 1955, Le Corbusier made official contact with the Briey town council, and was appointed chief architect for the project, with André Wogenscky as operating architect. The HLM office was awarded the contract. The proposed building is 110 meters long, 56 meters high (70 meters at its highest point) and 19 meters wide.