Pierre Jeanneret

A visionary of modernist architecture and design, the Swiss architect and designer Pierre Jeanneret is best known for his minimalist seating furniture— designing chairs without requiring fasteners. A catalyst for the development of early 20th-century Swiss architecture, Pierre Jeanneret along with his famed cousin and designer Le Corbusier created some of the most esteemed icons of Mid Century Modern architectural work, breaking away with the conventional methods. Pierre Jeanneret furniture for sale on Bidsquare auction features the designer’s signature chairs and other pieces that the French designer created, and regularly achieve high prices.

About Pierre Jeanneret

Born in 1896 in Geneva, Pierre Jeanneret studied architecture and painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, graduating in 1921. Collaborating with his cousin architect Charles Edouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier, Pierre began designing various public and private buildings. Although the structures varied greatly in appearance and functions, yet all were thematically influenced by the idea of Synthetic Cubism. These included the Villa Savoye in Poissy, France designed in 1929, and the Grand Modele seating collection. Each of the buildings was carefully constructed in keeping with the location, purpose, and clientele.

A consistent innovator, Pierre Jeanneret together with Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand headed modern design in the twenties and thirties, designing a line of Pierre Jeanneret Chairs and other furniture and establishing a new aesthetic vocabulary that emphasized the importance of function and order over ornamentation. The strict geometry of modernism permeates all of Jeanneret's work, achieving synergy by the right incorporation of robust diagonals and lighter materials such as cane and wood. Pierre Jeanneret contributed to designing pieces like the iconic chaise lounge (LC4), Fauteuil Grand Confort as well as LC1 chair, LC2 sofa, LC3 chair, and LC4 chaise longue, some of Pierre Jeanneret’s greatest classics.

But the greatest oeuvre of Pierre Jeanneret’s works was embarking on a massive urban-planning project of redesigning the historic city of Chandigarh in Northern India along with Le Corbusier. Besides helping to refine his cousin’s large-scale concepts, Pierre Jeanneret was mainly involved in projecting the interior design and the furniture for the various structures of the city. His creative genius led to an incredible collection, including iconic pieces of Pierre Jeanneret chairs for sale at Bidsquare online auction. He created a series of elegantly designed furniture using local types of wood and craftsmen to reflect the classic modernity of Chandigarh and the nation. The city remains a masterpiece of modern architecture.

Quick Facts about Pierre Jeanneret

• The sturdy ‘Chandigarh chair’ with its distinctive V-shaped legs designed by Pierre Jeanneret are snapped up by collectors, fetching record prices at auctions. 
• Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier pair published their manifesto “Five Points Towards a New Architecture” that served as the foundation for their architectural aesthetic.