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M+, Hong Kong, © Pierre Jeanneret
Pierre Jeanneret 皮耶．江耐瑞
Office desk, Chandigarh, India 印度昌迪加爾辦公桌
circa 1958
Designed by the Swiss-French architect Pierre Jeanneret in the mid-1950s, this multiple-sided teak desk was originally used in the Legislative Assembly, a government building in the planned Indian city of Chandigarh. Jeanneret’s furniture represents one of the smallest scales of design for the city; as the capital of a recently established state, Chandigarh required all-new urban infrastructure, administrative buildings, and public spaces.
Eager to shape an image of a modern India, Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned Jeanneret’s cousin, the architect Le Corbusier, to lead Chandigarh’s development just after the country gained independence in 1947. Le Corbusier produced Chandigarh’s most visible structures, including the Legislative Assembly. Jeanneret was responsible for much of the city’s other architecture, particularly its housing, as well as furniture to outfit the city’s government and public interiors. In his furniture, Jeanneret applies modern architectural principles—here, the desk’s shelves recall the building’s exterior—and an understanding of local craft techniques. Styles range from casual to ceremonial.
Eager to shape an image of a modern India, Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned Jeanneret’s cousin, the architect Le Corbusier, to lead Chandigarh’s development just after the country gained independence in 1947. Le Corbusier produced Chandigarh’s most visible structures, including the Legislative Assembly. Jeanneret was responsible for much of the city’s other architecture, particularly its housing, as well as furniture to outfit the city’s government and public interiors. In his furniture, Jeanneret applies modern architectural principles—here, the desk’s shelves recall the building’s exterior—and an understanding of local craft techniques. Styles range from casual to ceremonial.
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