Ginza Tsutaya Books (GINZA SIX, 6F, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) is holding the exhibition "Painter Le Corbusier: The World of Painting Woven by an Architecture Master" at its in-store Art Wall from Saturday, July 25 to Thursday, August 27, 2026.
Overview
Le Corbusier, the 20th-century architectural master behind Villa Savoye and the Chapel of Ronchamp, both now part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing, built an unshakeable reputation as an architect. Less widely known is that he was also a painter, spending every morning in his studio and continuing to paint throughout his life. This exhibition sheds light on that lesser-known side of him as a painter — the very wellspring of his inspiration — through a rare collection of prints and drawings. Visitors can trace Le Corbusier's creative journey, from the shift seen across two original works to the creation of his celebrated print series The Poem of the Right Angle.
Exhibition Highlight: Two Original Works From Different Eras — "Still Life with Purism" and "Hand"
"Purism" was an artistic movement proposed by Le Corbusier and Amédée Ozenfant in France after World War I. While inheriting the forms of Cubism, it pursued clearer, more ordered compositions, depicting everyday motifs through simple shapes and quiet color.
Still Life with Purism (1927) is an early still-life work built from straight lines. Its functional design, stripped of excess, embodies the very thinking that would later underpin Villa Savoye, the pinnacle of modern architecture. Hand (1951) represents his mature later years, its free, vital curves flowing directly into forms he was working on around the same time, such as the Chapel of Ronchamp and the Open Hand Monument. Comparing the two works side by side, visitors can see how the evolution of his painting mirrors the history of his celebrated architecture.
Still Life with Purism (1927)
Hand (1951)
The 1955 Print Series "The Poem of the Right Angle"
At the center of the exhibition is The Poem of the Right Angle, a print series published in 1955 — the same year the Chapel of Ronchamp was completed. Arranged according to a layout (iconostasis) that Le Corbusier devised himself, the series consists of 19 lithographs expressing his singular cosmology of the sun's movement, love, and the "open hand." It captures the harmony between humanity and nature that the master ultimately arrived at.
Artwork Sales
Exhibited works go on sale in-store starting at 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 25.
Sales may end before the exhibition period begins, depending on presale activity.
Availability through the art e-commerce platform OIL can be checked at: https://oil.bijutsutecho.com/
About Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
A Swiss-born architect, designer, and painter who defined the 20th century. Born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, he adopted "Le Corbusier" as a pen name for his creative work. While building an unshakeable reputation as an architect, he also painted every day throughout his life. In 2016, 17 architectural works across seven countries, including the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, were jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site under the title "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier." In the 1920s, he proposed the Purism movement, becoming a leading figure of modern architecture with works such as Villa Savoye, which stripped away all excess. After the war, he devised his own measurement system, the Modulor, and left behind masterpieces including the housing complex Unité d'Habitation and the Chapel of Ronchamp.
Exhibition Details
"Painter Le Corbusier — The World of Painting Woven by an Architecture Master"
Dates: Saturday, July 25 to Thursday, August 27, 2026
Hours: 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM (closes at 6:00 PM on the final day)
Venue: Ginza Tsutaya Books, Art Wall
Organizer: Ginza Tsutaya Books
Cooperation: Yoshimura Fine Art Co., Ltd.
Admission: Free
Feature page: https://store.tsite.jp/ginza/event/art/55635-1028150713.html
