Le Corbusier and the Gras Lamp

"The truth is, decorative art is equipment, beautiful equipment," Le Corbusier, L'Art décoratif d'aujourd'hui This book traces the history of an encounter between a remarkable invention, half-industrial half-design object, and one of the most famous architects of the 20th century. Created in 1921, the Gras lamp holds a unique place in the history of lighting. A revolutionary design of marvellous simplicity, its original purpose was to meet the needs of the booming manufacturing and retail sectors. The young Le Corbusier, passionate about the challenges of interior lighting, adopted it as his own from the early 1920s on. Thanks to its remarkable functionality, this lamp also perfectly corresponded to his desire to break with decoration and ornament, and the architect went on to utilise it in his studio in the rue de Sèvres in Paris as well as his home. He also placed it in many of the interiors of the houses he designed: the Villa Le Lac (Switzerland), the Villa La Roche