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INDIA - Le Corbusier's work at risk in Chandigarh
Chandigarh was created from scratch sixty years ago by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Its striking, concrete buildings were supposed to give a distinct identity to a newly Independent India. But now this masterpiece of modern, minimalist design is under threat. Le Corbusier designed more than just the buildings. The architect commissioned his cousin Pierre Jeanneret to create thousands of pieces of purpose-built furniture. In the decades after his death, many of these pieces were stolen or sold to western antique dealers, who in turn auctioned them around the world.
Chandigarh was created from scratch sixty years ago by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Its striking, concrete buildings were supposed to give a distinct identity to a newly Independent India. But now this masterpiece of modern, minimalist design is under threat. Le Corbusier designed more than just the buildings. The architect commissioned his cousin Pierre Jeanneret to create thousands of pieces of purpose-built furniture. In the decades after his death, many of these pieces were stolen or sold to western antique dealers, who in turn auctioned them around the world.