The Perriand collections of the MAD

During her creative life, Charlotte Perriand, a lover of mountain landscapes and Japanese houses, who worked in the field of habitation, varied and improved the modernist ideal and concepts of Le Corbusier.

From the expression that was so important to her, The Art of Living, her productions were significant for the evolution of ways of living. This is illustrated by the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, starting in 1966 with three emblematic pieces: the B301 Basculant Lounge Chair and the B306 Basculant Lounger, pioneers in chrome steel tubing the creation of which she shared with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, as well as the three legged stool called Berger.

If Perriand’s pieces stand out for the elegance of the lines and proportions, they are the result of a rigorous selection of materials – wood, bamboo, chrome steel, etc. They are also the product of very thorough study of the idea of saving space such as storage, partitions and trellises which slide to create new domestic horizons.