38 moments

1. Birth in La Chaux-de-Fonds

   1887-10-06 · La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

   

   Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, later known as Le Corbusier, was born in the Swiss watchmaking town where he received his early artistic education.

2. Florence Charterhouse visit

   1907-01-01 · Florence Charterhouse, Galluzzo, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

   

   During his Italian journey, he visited the Florence Charterhouse at Galluzzo, an experience he later identified as important to his conception of collective housing.

3. Italian Grand Tour

   1907-01-01 · Florence, Tuscany, Italy

   

   His first journey outside Switzerland took him through Tuscany and Veneto, beginning a formative period of travel and architectural observation. Florence is a representative documented stop within a broader 1907 Italian itinerary.

4. Vienna winter stay

   1907-11-01 · Vienna, Austria

   

   After travelling in Italy and through Budapest, Jeanneret reached Vienna for a four-month period of architectural and musical study.

5. Early Paris residence and Perret office

   1908-01-01 · Paris, France

   

   He settled in Paris and worked as a draftsman for Auguste Perret, gaining direct experience with reinforced-concrete construction. The source supports a 14-month Paris engagement between 1908 and 1910; only the start year is recorded here.

6. Berlin exhibitions

   1910-01-01 · Berlin, Germany

   

   While studying German cities and industry, he spent seven days in Berlin visiting major planning, building, and Secession exhibitions. The source gives the year but not the seven-day interval.

7. Munich study residence

   1910-01-01 · Munich, Bavaria, Germany

   

   Jeanneret stayed in Munich while studying German decorative and industrial arts and seeking architectural training. The stay extended through October 1910; the source does not give a precise arrival date.

8. Hellerau visit with his brother

   1910-10-01 · Hellerau, Dresden, Saxony, Germany

   

   Jeanneret visited his brother Albert at Hellerau during his return to Germany in autumn 1910.

9. Peter Behrens employment

   1910-11-01 · Neubabelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

   

   Jeanneret began work in Peter Behrens's office, a pivotal early professional engagement in Germany. The employment date is exact. Coordinates identify Behrens's Neubabelsberg office area; the biography does not state the office address.

10. Constantinople on Voyage d'Orient

    1911-01-01 · Constantinople, Ottoman Empire

    

    During the Voyage d'Orient, Jeanneret spent time in Constantinople and described the city extensively in letters. Constantinople is the historical name for present-day Istanbul; the source does not provide a more precise date.

11. Prague arrival on Voyage d'Orient

    1911-06-01 · Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary

    

    His six-month eastern journey began in earnest with his arrival in Prague before continuing through the Balkans toward Greece and Turkey. Prague was then in Austria-Hungary.

12. Return to La Chaux-de-Fonds

    1912-01-01 · La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

    

    After his nearly six-month eastern journey, Jeanneret returned to his home city and intensified his work as an architect and teacher. The return followed the 1911 journey; the source groups it within the 1912–1916 period.

13. Paris research stay

    1915-01-01 · Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France

    

    In summer 1915 he worked on La Construction des villes and pursued research at the Bibliothèque Nationale while developing Dom-Ino studies. Coordinates identify the Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque nationale; the source does not specify the exact building used.

14. Permanent move to Paris

    1917-02-01 · Paris, France

    

    Jeanneret settled permanently in Paris, making the city the central base for his architectural, artistic, and publishing career.

15. Rome journey with Amédée Ozenfant

    1922-01-01 · Rome, Italy

    

    Le Corbusier travelled to Rome with painter Amédée Ozenfant during their Purist collaboration. The source provides the year but not more precise dating.

16. 35 rue de Sèvres studio

    1924-09-18 · 35 rue de Sèvres, Paris, France

    

    He opened the Paris studio that became his principal professional workplace for the remainder of his life.

17. Moscow professional visit

    1928-01-01 · Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

    

    Le Corbusier was in Moscow as his international work expanded, taking on the Centrosoyuz commission and engaging Soviet architectural debates. The source provides the year but not a specific date.

18. First CIAM congress

    1928-06-26 · Château de La Sarraz, La Sarraz, Vaud, Switzerland

    

    Le Corbusier attended and helped organize the inaugural Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne, a defining meeting for international modernism. Card date is the congress opening date; the event ran through 1928-06-28.

19. Buenos Aires lecture tour

    1929-10-03 · Buenos Aires, Argentina

    

    On his first South American journey, Le Corbusier delivered a ten-conference series in Buenos Aires, extending his urbanistic influence in Latin America. Card date is the opening date of the documented lecture series.

20. Lingotto factory visit

    1936-01-01 · Lingotto, Turin, Piedmont, Italy

    

    Le Corbusier visited Fiat's Lingotto factory in Turin during a period of renewed interest in industrial systems and automobile design. The source provides the year but not a date.

21. Rio de Janeiro project and conferences

    1936-01-01 · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    

    On his second Brazilian trip, Le Corbusier participated in Ministry of Education and Health projects and gave a series of six conferences in Rio de Janeiro. The source provides the year but not the conference dates.

22. Algiers wartime planning efforts

    1940-01-01 · Algiers, French Algeria

    

    During the early Vichy period, Le Corbusier alternated between Vichy and Algiers while attempting to advance urban-planning proposals. The source gives 1940 but no dates or specific Algiers venue.

23. Move to Vichy

    1941-01-01 · Vichy, Allier, France

    

    Le Corbusier moved to the Vichy seat of government and repeatedly sought official roles in reconstruction and urban planning.

24. Final departure from Vichy

    1942-07-01 · Vichy, Allier, France

    

    After eighteen months of frustrated efforts with Vichy institutions, Le Corbusier left for Paris and resumed work outside the regime's administrative orbit. The quoted departure establishes presence in Vichy immediately before departure.

25. Meeting Albert Einstein

    1946-01-01 · Princeton, New Jersey, United States

    

    Le Corbusier met Albert Einstein at Princeton amid his postwar return to international architectural and intellectual networks. The source provides the year but not the meeting date or exact Princeton venue.

26. CIAM VI participation

    1947-01-01 · Bridgwater, Somerset, England, United Kingdom

    

    Le Corbusier participated in the sixth CIAM congress, continuing his long involvement with the international modern-architecture organization. The source uses the spelling “Bridgewater”; coordinates are for Bridgwater, Somerset.

27. Stay at Unité d'Habitation construction site

    1949-01-01 · Unité d'Habitation, Marseille, France

    

    Le Corbusier stayed in the still-unfinished Marseille Unité d'Habitation to test aspects of the building that became known as the Cité Radieuse. The source gives the year but not the dates of the stay.

28. First Ronchamp visit

    1950-01-01 · Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, Haute-Saône, France

    

    Le Corbusier first travelled to Ronchamp to begin work on the reconstruction of Notre-Dame-du-Haut on Bourlémont hill. The source provides the year but not a more specific date.

29. Long Island murals and sandcasts

    1950-01-01 · Long Island, New York, United States

    

    Le Corbusier worked with Costantino Nivola in Long Island, producing murals and experimental sandcasts. The source identifies Long Island but not a municipality or exact property; coordinates are a representative central Long Island point.

30. Chandigarh planning site

    1951-02-01 · Chandigarh, Punjab, India

    

    Le Corbusier joined the new-capital team on the Punjab plain beneath the Himalayas, beginning work on Chandigarh's design and Capitol complex. Source is in French. Chandigarh was then in Punjab; it is now a union territory of India.

31. Légion d'Honneur at Cité Radieuse

    1952-01-01 · Cité Radieuse, Marseille, France

    

    At Marseille's newly inaugurated Cité Radieuse, Le Corbusier received the insignia of Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur on the roof terrace. The source provides the year but not the ceremony date.

32. Enamel production at Luynes

    1953-01-01 · Luynes, Indre-et-Loire, France

    

    Le Corbusier began producing enamel works with Jean Martin in Luynes, extending his visual-art practice alongside his architectural projects. The source provides the year but not a precise date.

33. Japan trip for National Museum project

    1955-11-01 · National Museum of Western Art, Ueno, Tokyo, Japan

    

    Le Corbusier travelled to Japan to study the National Museum of Western Art project in Tokyo. Tokyo is used because the museum is located there; the source identifies Japan but does not explicitly name the city.

34. Thirteenth Chandigarh trip

    1958-01-01 · Chandigarh, India

    

    Le Corbusier returned to Chandigarh for his thirteenth visit, monitoring progress and reasserting direction of the capital project with Nehru's support. The source places the visit at the beginning of 1958 but does not provide exact dates.

35. Sorbonne conference

    1960-02-04 · Sorbonne, Paris, France

    

    Le Corbusier delivered a Sorbonne conference on contemporary programs for equipping machine-age society.

36. Florence exhibition and civic honor

    1963-01-01 · Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

    

    Le Corbusier was in Florence for an exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi and received the city's Gold Medal. The honors and exhibition establish a Florence appearance, but the source provides only the year.

37. Grand Officier ceremony at atelier

    1964-01-01 · 35 rue de Sèvres, Paris, France

    

    Culture Minister André Malraux awarded Le Corbusier the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur at his rue de Sèvres atelier. The source provides the year but not a ceremony date.

38. Death while swimming at Cap-Martin

    1965-08-27 · Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, France

    

    Le Corbusier died of a heart attack during his daily swim in the Mediterranean after going to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin against medical advice. The source places him at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in August; the exact swimming location in the Mediterranean is not specified.