Le Corbusier and the Power of Photography

The development of one of the twentieth century’s greatest architects was inextricably connected to the rise of the century’s most popular visual medium: photography. Marking the 125th anniversary of Le Corbusier’s birth, this remarkable publication traces the many ways in which the architect used photography to define and disseminate his work and ideas around the world. 

Because his buildings are usually shown in a documentary manner, the candid, personal, artistic, and often unexpected images reproduced here offer new insights and ways to appreciate the many facets of the man behind his works. The topics covered include Le Corbusier’s early experimentation with photography; how he employed photography in promotional materials relating to his buildings and ideas; and his use of large-scale imagery in his buildings and exhibitions. There is also a section devoted to contemporary photographic interpretations of his buildings. 

With contributions by  Norman Foster, Tim Benton, Arthur Ruegg, Veronique Boone, Catherine de Smet, Klaus Spechtenhauser, and Jean-Christophe Blaser.

A key publication in the literature on Le Corbusier that offers a new perspective on his creative mind

Nathalie Herschdorfer is a photography historian and curator. She is the author of Afterwards, and the co-author of Face: The New Photographic Portrait.Lada Umstätter is chief curator of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.