Le Corbusier's Hand By André Wogenscky (1916−2004)

Le Corbusier's Hands


By André Wogenscky

Translated by Martina Millà Bernad
Le Corbusier's assistant and fellow architect remembers his mentor in a series of concise and poetic reflections.


Review
A singular complement to Le Corbusier's work, this book is also an inspiring depiction of an artist.

Publishers Weekly


Summary



Le Corbusier's assistant and fellow architect remembers his mentor in a series of concise and poetic reflections.

Le Corbusier's Hands offers a poetic and personal portrait of Le Corbusier—a nuanced portrayal that is in contrast to the popular image of Le Corbusier the aloof modernist. The author knew Le Corbusier intimately for thirty years, first as his draftsman and main assistant, later as his colleague and personal friend. In this book, written in the mid-1980s, Wogenscky remembers his mentor in a series of revealing personal statements and evocative reflections unlike anything that exists in the vast literature on Le Corbusier. Wogenscky draws a portrait in swift, deft strokes—50 short chapters, one leading to the next, one memory of Le Corbusier opening into another. Appearing and reappearing like a leitmotif are Le Corbusier's hands—touching, taking, drawing, offering, closing, opening, grasping, releasing: "It was his hands that revealed him.... They spoke all his feelings, all the vibrations of his inner life that his face tried to conceal." Wogenscky writes about Le Corbusier's work, including the famous design of the chapel at Ronchamp, his ideas for high-density Unités d'Habitation linked to the center of a "Radiant City," and his "Modulor" system for defining proportions—which Wogenscky compares to a piano tuner's finding the exact relation between sounds. He remembers the day Picasso spent with Le Corbusier at the Marseilles building site—"All day long they outdid one another in a show of modesty," he observes in amazement. He adds, speaking for himself and the others present, "We were inside a double energy field." And Wogenscky writes about Le Corbusier more personally. "I have spent years trying to understand what went on in his mind and in his hand," he tells us. With Le Corbusier's Hands, Wogenscky gives us a unique record of an enigmatic genius.

Le Corbusier by Heidi Weber

"I have spent years trying to understand what went on in his mind and in his hand."

The French architect André Wogenscky (1916−2004) worked at Le Corbusier's legendary Rue de Sèvres studio for 20 years (1936−56). He supervised the design and construction of such epoch-making buildings as the various Unités d'Habitation (Marseilles, Nantes, Berlin, Briey-en-Fôret, and Firminy). After leaving Le Corbusier, with whom he collaborated and maintained a friendship until the master's death in 1965, Wogenscky established an independent practice.
As the director of the Fondation Le Corbusier (1971−82), he also contributed to the preservation of Le Corbusier's legacy.

With Le Corbusier's Hands, Wogenscky gives us a unique record of an enigmatic genius."

Le Corbusier's Hand
English Version by The MIT Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, England
2006 Massachusetts Institut of Technology

北京畫院美術館

2005年9月23日，北京畫院美術館、齊白石紀念館（均位於北京畫院內）舉行掛牌儀式。北京畫院美術館建築面積達到4600平方米，設有四個展廳，五至六層是學術交流中心。^[3]

http://www.bjaa.com.cn/block.html?hcs=11&clg=157

美術館簡介

    北京畫院美術館是以陳列藝術大師齊白石的作品為特色，以收藏、研究近現代京派繪畫為方向，集收藏、研究、陳列、展覽，交流和休閒為一體的現代造型藝術博物館。北京畫院同時注重策劃舉辦現當代中外畫家專題展覽、學術研討及國際美術交流活動，是面向社會開放的公益性文化設施。該館建築面積4600平方米，共設四個展廳，展覽面積1167平方米。

    北京畫院美術館，下闢齊白石紀念館，以收藏、陳列、研究齊白石書畫為主，將北京畫院所藏的齊白石作品分為十個系列專題陸續陳列展出，取得了良好的社會效益。如今，北京畫院及北京畫院美術館已經成為研究齊白石藝術、弘揚齊白石文化的重要窗口。自2007年始，北京畫院美術館有計劃、有步驟地啟動了“20世紀中國美術大家系列展”活動，已舉辦李斛、李苦禪、李可染、吳作人、蔣兆和、董希文、龐薰琹、周思聰、黃冑等專題展覽四十餘個，配合出版學術叢書以及舉辦學術研討會，產生了極大的社會反響。同時，北京畫院美術館也關注中國當代美術以及國際藝術的發展動向，先後多次舉辦了當代重要藝術家以及國際藝術交流展。2015年，北京畫院美術館正式開啟“中國古代書畫研究”單元。該系列利用博物館的藏品優勢資源與北京畫院的學術研究成果，以期向公眾展示中國古代書畫的獨特魅力，先後舉辦明清實景山水、傅山書畫精品、明清人物畫等專題展覽。由於組織這些高品質的美術展覽，配合相關的學術研究工作及陸續推廣的美術教育活動，2011年北京畫院美術館被文化部評為“國家重點美術館”。