Summary
Le Corbusier Down Under: Encounters in Australia and New Zealand
This book explores Le Corbusier’s interactions with Australia and New Zealand, framing them as a reciprocal exchange. It examines the influence of his ideas and projects on architects in the region, while also uncovering the ways his contacts with the Antipodes shaped his post-war career.
Based on extensive archival research from the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris and national archives, Le Corbusier in the Antipodes assembles a series of episodes, contextualizing them within the history of modern art, architecture, and urbanism in 20th-century Australia and New Zealand. It unveils and analyzes previously undocumented exchanges between Le Corbusier and others, including his relationship with Australian architect Harry Seidler at Chandigarh, his 1950 drawing of the Adelaide plan, and his creative collaboration with Jorn Utzon on artwork for the Sydney Opera House. The book also features analysis of previously unseen Le Corbusier artworks from the Utzon family collection. By examining these personal encounters, the book offers fresh perspectives on the spread and adaptation of Le Corbusier’s ideas and their impact in post-war Australia and New Zealand.
These Antipodean connections are considered within the larger context of Le Corbusier’s career, challenging established interpretations of his design methods and questioning prevailing assumptions about the influence of his work beyond Europe.