PARIS.- To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Le Corbusier’s death at sea off the Mediterranean coast on 27 August 1965, Galerie Eric Mouchet is joining forces with Galerie Zlotowski in an exhibition in their respective venues on rue Jacob and rue de Seine. On display is a comprehensive overview of the paintings, drawings and engravings of the great architect and urban planner.

Le Corbusier, who was never without a sketchbook in his pocket, devoted half of every day over a 45 year period to writing, painting and drawing – what he called his ‘Atelier de la recherche patiente’ (the workshop of patient research). The rest of the day was given over to working with his colleagues in his practice at 35 rue de Sèvres, Paris.

His visual arts output was both highly original and prolific, stretching from 1917 to 1965. Up to the Second World War, this work was largely for his own personal research. Later, however, it helped drive the design and promotion of the Modulor, a ‘harmonious’ scale of proportions he devised in 1946.

His pre-war work includes drawings, paintings and a number of mostly black and white engravings.

After the war, with the help of others, he added a number of other techniques to his repertoire - sculpture, tapestry, enamelling on sheet metal, the artist’s book and multi-coloured lithographs…

The exhibition at the Galerie Zlotowski concentrates on Le Corbusier’s collages and takes place from 23rd April to 25th July at 20 rue de Seine. Meanwhile, the Galerie Eric Mouchet displays a variety of drawings, sculptures, paintings and tapestry cartoons at its premises on 45 rue Jacob between 23 April and 13 June.

These two exhibitions offer a good overview of the sheer diversity of media in which the artist worked, as well as an insight into the issues and themes that most mattered to him over the course of what was a truly remarkable artistic career.