Le Corbusier's Idyllic Paintings at Roquebrune Station

The exhibition 'Le Corbusier: mes années sauvages sur le bassin. 1926-36' is on view at the Gare de Cap Martin in Roquebrune until September 24, 2016. Curated by Tim Bentos and Bruno Hubert, the show previously appeared in Lège-Cap Ferret in 2015. It documents Le Corbusier's decade-long retreat to Le Piquey in the Bassin d'Arcachon, Aquitaine, where he sought peace from civilization. The architect, known for his rationalist plans like the Ville Radieuse (1922) and the Algiers plan (1930-33), found inspiration in natural objects: driftwood, pine cones, shells, swallows, local boats, carts, and women. His Purist style, developed with Amédée Ozenfant in 'L'Esprit Nouveau' (1919-25), is evident in works like the cover of 'Une maison, un palais' (1928), pairing his Geneva Palace of Nations project with a fisherman's hut. Paintings from this period were shown at Kunsthaus Zürich in January 1938. The exhibition includes film footage by Le Corbusier and large photographic panels. He abandoned the area after a road was built, but later realized his dream of a cabin in 1952 with the Cabanon in Corsican wood near Roquebrune, next to Eileen Gray's E-1027 villa.