This month, Fondation Louis Vuitton has dedicated all of its 11 galleries across four floors of its Frank Gehry-designed building in Paris, to a comprehensive exhibition on the life and work of 20th-century design visionary Charlotte Perriand, marking the 20th anniversary of her death.

'Charlotte Perriand: Inventing a New World' is on view to February 24, 2020.

For the first time, the exhibition shines a spotlight on a woman hailed as a pioneer of modernity and leading figure in design by displaying 400 pieces of artworks by 22 different artists and architects. The pieces, including 200 artworks by Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999), are drawn from the Archives Charlotte Perriand, but also from private collectors and international museums.

The exhibition retraces the architectural work of Charlotte Perriand, whose creations presage current conversations about the roles of women and nature in our society. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to engage directly with a world of modernity thanks to meticulously researched, faithful reconstructions of interiors that include works of art chosen by Perriand, thus embodying her vision of a “synthesis of the arts.” 

Perriand studied at the École de l'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs from 1920 to 1925. Two years later, she began working as an interior designer, based at her studio on Place Saint-Sulpice. Her research and interest in furniture design led her to collaborate with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time she worked on major projects including the Villa Church, the Villa Savoye, the Cité du Réfuge for the French Salvation Army, and the Pavillon Suisse at the Cité Universitaire.