Modern Quotidian: Furniture by Prouve, Perriand, Le Corbusier, Rietveld

For the past few years, we have been adding objects of modern design to our holdings in modern art in both the Fogg and the Busch-Reisinger Museums. While the Busch-Reisinger has long collected design objects related to its Bauhaus holdings, the Fogg Museum has rarely collected modern design objects. In keeping with a new design initiative in the Harvard Design School, we are beginning to acquire modern design objects and furniture.

This installation includes a 1924 sideboard and a 1923 chair by the Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld; a c. 1953 bookcase by the French designer Charlotte Perriand; and a c. 1935 chaise longue by the designer Jules Leleu, both produced by the architect Jean Prouvé. We are pleased to show a corner bookcase designed by Perriand, c. 1950, lent by a private collector. And as Prouvé and Perriand both worked closely with the architect Le Corbusier, we are showing a suite of student furniture designed by Le Corbusier himself, the architect of Harvard’s Carpenter Center.