LE CORBUSIER; PIERRE JEANNERET (Genoa, 1896-1967), CHARLOTTE PERRIAND (France, 1903-1999) for CASSINA.
Reclining lounge chair LC2, design 1928.
Grey lacquered tubular steel frame, loose cushions upholstered in beige and blue fabric.
Publisher's stamp and serial number engraved on the frame.
Slight signs of use.
Literature: Charlotte and Peter Fiell. "1000 chairs", reproduced and referred to on p. 133.
Measurements: 69/48 cm (height).
The LC2 armchair was designed by Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand for Cassina (1928) and, like the contemporary LC3 series, was defined by its creators as a "basket of cushions", and conceived as a response to the traditional armchair, which inverts the dialogue between structure and cushions, leaving the former in view.
Architectural theorist, architect, designer and painter, Le Corbusier is considered one of the clearest exponents of the Modern Movement in architecture, and one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. He developed a new architecture based on five points that would be key to the development of this discipline from then on: the free plan, the terrace-garden, the "pilotis", the longitudinal window and the free façade. Among his most outstanding architectural projects were the Swiss Pavilion in the Cité Universitaire in Paris, the Unité d'Habitation in Marseilles and the chapel of Notre Dame du Aut. in Ronchamp. As a furniture designer, Le Corbusier produced his first creations together with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, and received his definitive impetus at the Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs in 1925. His first chairs and armchairs were already conceived in terms of comfort, based on anthropometric studies that guaranteed total adaptability to the body. The first design that Le Corbusier created, together with Jeanneret and Perriand, was the LC1 chair, presented in 1928 and characterised by a height-adjustable backrest that allowed the user to choose the most comfortable posture. He continued to work along these lines, and at the 1929 Salon d'Automne du Design he presented his LC4 chaise longue, a purist and radical design that has become a classic today. Equally well known are his LC2, LC3 and LC5 designs, one-, two- and three-seater sofas designed to revolutionise the mass production of modern furniture. We should also mention the design of stools and dining chairs, such as the LC7, presented at the 1929 Salon d'Automne or the LC8. Le Corbusier, Jeanneret and Perriand sought to design furniture for all the rooms in the house, and so they created pieces such as LC9, a very simple stool for the bathroom with a fabric seat. Le Corbusier also created other types of furniture, such as tables and shelves. His designs are currently published by the Italian company Cassina, and are present in important collections such as that of the MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert in London.