The Painter Le Corbusier: Eileen Gray’s Villa E 1027 and Le Cabanon

Tim Benton

Hardcover | 22.23 x 1.91 x 27.94 cm | 136 pp

Birkhäuser | 2023 | 9783035626537

In 1929, Eileen Gray designed Villa E 1027 for herself and her youthful partner Jean Badovici, but only lived there for three years. Today, the elegant house in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in southern France is an icon of modernism.

In 1937, Le Corbusier discovered the place and the “Maison en Bord de Mer”. Inspired by the genius of the place and the light on the Côte d’Azur, he created a total of eight large-format wall paintings there in 1938 and 1939 onwards, some of which complement the building congenially, while others set counterpoints. In 1952, he built his Cabanon nearby and decorated it with murals as well.

This book by the well-known architectural historian Tim Benton documents Le Corbusier’s artwork at this special place, explores its controversies, and places it in his overall oeuvre.