Exhibition by Ivan Shumkov

9am-6pm, Mon-Fr, February 10 - May 08, 2009

Opening: 6:30pm, February 17
Lecture: 12:30pm, April 04

The Exhibition opened the first sunny day. Despite the despicable criticisms of all those bastards, it's marvelous to think that we've done this, in the hearth of Paris, and in the midst of a social revolution. It's very instructive. Everything's possible! You can create a new city right in the vigorous hearth of an ancient one, without wrecking its life, without halting its life. And you can do it while the biggest, most serious struggle between workers and bosses is starting. In the midst of a revolution. I hope the others do the same. There is amazing worker discipline here. A wisdom.
Le Corbusier, from a letter to his mother, 25 June 1937

How can a social revolution be achieved through Architecture? The Pavilion des Temps Nouveaux is not just a masterpiece of Modern Architecture, but also a built manifesto of Urbanism and the new ways of living in a critical moment for the world's history. The pavilion building is a brave technological experiment and an architectural project of great quality. The interior exhibition has a didactic and promotional character. It is a strong political statement and the first public presentation of the CIAM research and ideas. The project is a synthesis of the thirties and a unique combination of architecture, painting, and sculpture, which Le Corbusier will later define as the synthesis of the major arts. The pavilion is a machine that transforms the visitors by educating and exposing them to the new ideas of Urbanism and Architecture.

The Pavilion des Temps Nouveaux is a key project for Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. It is the result of six years of work and efforts for the 1937 International Exhibition. In this period, the architects and their collaborators developed four different proposals of which only the last one was built. It was designed in less than three months, and the interiors were made by a team of more than 40 CIAM architects and other artists. The architects also intended for the pavilion to host the CIAM V congress in Paris on Logis et Loisirs (Dwellings and Leisure) and other conferences on Urbanism.  This is the project during which the trio of Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand split because of their political differences. It is also the last built project by their Atelier before the World War II. Until now has remained largely unstudied.   

This research starts from a single project and within it, discovers the whole work of Le Corbusier, his time and the entire history of architecture. The exhibition begins with the genesis of the project, followed by the design evolution of the project, the construction images and the drawings of the built pavilion. The final section is the critical analysis of the project in relation to site planning, the building membrane and exhibition interiors.  Through this exhibition, it is possible to better understand the Pavillon des Temps Nouveaux and learn more about the work and ideas of one of the greatest architects and thinkers of our civilization, Le Corbusier.