Le Corbusier Before Le Corbusier: Architectural Studies, Interiors, Painting and Photography, 1907-1922

In his numerous writings, Le Corbusier remained uncharacteristically silent about his early career. This text examines his nascent years as a designer and architect, focusing on the period from 1907 to 1922 - the year he changed his name from Charles Edouard Jeanneret and established his identity as Le Corbusier.

The contributors to the book offer an account of Le Corbusier's formative years and the cultural, intellectual and artistic concerns that absorbed him as a young artist in Switzerland and Paris. From 1907 to 1922 Jeanneret learned the art and craft of architecture and design, and defined his own image as an artist.

The volume discusses the cultural climate of his Swiss hometown, La Chaux-de-Fonds; his early mentors, friends and clients; his educational pursuits, including his self-designed Grand Tour; and his first successes as an architect and designer.

More than 350 illustrations - including architectural drawings and models, watercolours, sketches, photographs and furniture - show the wide range of young Le Corbusier's work and illuminate the principal themes and issues of his formative years.