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Chandigarh-Design : Le Corbusier French Furniture
The history of the city of Chandigarh is connected to the one of India. In 1947, the former britanic colony divides in two states : India and Pakistan. India wins its independence, but lets, in the North, the province of Penjab cut and Lahore, its capital, becomes Pakistani.
Then, India has to create and build a new capital. Nehru, Prime Minister at that period decides to create a new city and chooses Le Corbusier, international famous architect to realize the building of the city, it will be called Chandigarh, from the name of ‘Chandi’, Indian goddess of the power, whose temple set up itself on the place chooses and ‘garh’ meaning fortress. Construction of this new town starts in 1951 : that must symbolize the entrance of India into the modernity.
The works will last more than 10 years and Le Corbusier will ask his cousin Pierre Jeanneret ( 1896-1967 ) to oversee construction sites and to conceive the furniture. Pierre Jeanneret will sign a series of furniture intended for the various public and private buildings. A single drawing on a single scheme for one place, using local wood (teak or sisso), local handwork offer to the furniture of Jeanneret a particular character very appreciated by the collectors.
Chandigarh is today the biggest concentration of works of Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier on the planet.
After a period of forgetting, Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier’s work realizes often high profits in auctions.
Today, Indians became aware of the wealth of the cultural heritage of Chandigarh. Since January 2011, no piece of furniture can go out of the city without the authorization of the authorities and the Ministry of Culture or on production of an invoice resulting from an auction organized by the administration previous to this date.